A letter from Apr 07, 2024

Dear FutureMe, Sometimes when you're busy living every day, you forget how far you've come. I'm proud of you. In 2018 I sobbed in my room as a listened to my brother, in the depths of his addiction, get into a screaming fight with my parents. I had no idea what my brother's real personality was, since it had been completely overshadowed by his mental health struggles. I wondered if he would ultimately die from his mental health struggles, and how I would ever live without him. In 2019 my brother began his recovery journey. In 2021 I became a Crisis Counselor, getting to help those struggled with addiction and mental health challenges. It's 2024 now and he is still sober. We have a great relationship now. In 2021 I went on a medical volunteer trip, where I was offered the opportunity to ***** a patient with a lancet to get a blood sample. I was too scared, and passed off the lancet to one of my peers. In 2022 I became an EMT, where I obtained vitals, patient history, and more, all while de-escalating emergency situations. I can't lie, I was pretty nervous when I first started the job, but at least I could ***** a patient to get a blood sugar. It's 2024 now and I'm still working as an EMT. I love it, and I'm no longer nervous to go into work. I know I have the training necessary for any situation that could come my way. In 2007 I was a little kiddo learning to ice skate. In 2018 I represented the United States of America at competitions abroad. It's 2024 now and while I don't skate competitively anymore, I still love practicing my skills at the rink, and going to skate for fun with my friends. In 2015 I had a paralyzing fear of talking on the phone, and even FaceTime calls. I cried when I had to make appointments. In 2019 COVID happened, and I was forced to combat this fear, joining zoom calls nearly every day. In 2021 I slowly gained confidence on the phone. I still hating making appointments, but it no longer made me cry. It's 2024 now and I can make appointments without even thinking about it. I also love to call my friends and close family. In 2016 I thought the world would be better without me in it. It's 2024 now and I can't imagine how much I would've missed out on if I let those thoughts win. It's 2024 now and I'm working on medical school applications. I hope one day when I read this, I can call myself a doctor.