thanks you saved my life essay

A Thank You Letter To The Person Who Changed My Life

I can’t say “thank you” enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

You have taught me that you don’t always have to strong. You are allowed to break down as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. I know that you don’t believe in things happening for a reason so I can believe for the both of us that you were brought into my life for a reason.

You have taught me that I have a story and that my story matters. More so, you have taught me that other people need my story. Through honesty and vulnerability, I can open doors that would otherwise stay closed. It wasn’t until I started to get honest and vulnerable with myself that I could get honest and vulnerable with other people.

You have taught me that despite my flaws and hurts, my story is still valid and that gave me the strength to validate other people’s stories

Because you taught me to see the world differently, I learned to treat the world differently.

Our friendship has taught me to appreciate the small moments and to not rush through my life. It has taught me that the smallest acts of kindness can sometimes be the most monumental; things like genuinely asking how someone’s day is going. During one of our numerous coffee runs, I asked you why you wanted to spend your time making small talk with the barista at Starbucks and you replied, “This is her whole day, standing there taking orders. We might as well make it a good day.” After that, I made an effort to be kind to anyone, no matter how small of a role they played in my life because you never know what someone is going through. It has taught me to see the adventure in any situation. It has taught me to make decisions that will make for the better story.

Your passion to make a difference in the world is unbelievable. You put your heart and soul into your endeavors and surpass any personal goal you could have set. Watching you do what you love and watching you make a difference in the lives of others is an incredible experience and I hope that one day I can have just as much passion you have.

The love you have for your family is outstanding. Listening to you talk about your loved ones just makes me smile. You give me hope for my own great family one day. You love with all your heart and this quality is something I wished I possessed.

You inspire me to be the best version of myself. I look up to you. I feel that more people should strive to have the strength and passion that you exemplify in everyday life. I have never been more proud to know someone and to call someone my role model. You have taught me so many things and I want to thank you. Thank you for inspiring me in life. Thank you for making me want to be a better person.

Thank you for dealing with my immaturities and tantrums. Even though know you’re not one for drama when I am the definition of dramatic you never stopped pushing me. Even if I’m hard to deal with at times (all the time), you never left. Instead, you still try to understand.

I may not say it often but I treasure the memories we have made and shared.

Thank you for always understanding. You never judged me. You accepted me. And your open-mindedness and compassionate heart always comfort me.

It is challenging to put into words how proud I am of you and all of the wishful things I desire for you in the future and with that being said I want to draw this quote from Confucius: “Wherever you go, go with all your heart.”

Life has a funny way of playing games, so no matter what it brings you, just do it with all of your heart. I know you will. I know this because no matter what the situation is that I’ve been lucky enough to witness over these past few years, you’ve brought your whole heart with you and always seemed to turn a negative situation into a positive one. Just remember that when life becomes tricky.

You have walked with me through some of the most turbulent times in my life and for that, I am eternally grateful and I will always do the same for you.

Thank you for always telling me the truth. Without you calling me out on the stupid things I do, I don’t know where I would be today.

About the author

Anissa Calma-Brown

I am obsessed with porcupines and koala bears

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How to Write a ‘Thank You for Saving My Life’ Letter + Examples

Updated 04/5/2024

Published 03/31/2021

Erika Krull, MSEd, LMHP

Licensed Mental Health Practitioner

Cake values integrity and transparency. We follow a strict editorial process to provide you with the best content possible. We also may earn commission from purchases made through affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more in our affiliate disclosure .

What can you say to a person who saves your life? Words almost don’t measure up to a sense of overwhelming gratitude. But writing a “thank you for saving my life” letter is a good way to acknowledge someone’s critical action. 

You want to honor them and communicate as clearly as possible, but it can be a sensitive topic to broach with them. Heroic acts like saving a life are not everyday events in most people’s lives. It can be difficult to talk about even when you want to.

With a little time and consideration, you can create a message that shares your sentiment and makes a personal connection. As you search for the right words, consider these tips, examples, and additional ideas. 

Jump ahead to these sections:

What to include in a ‘thank you for saving my life’ letter , sample ‘thank you for saving my life’ letters , how else can you thank someone for saving your life.

Life-saving moments can be chaotic, emotional, and overwhelming. These suggestions can help you lay out your story in a way they can easily absorb.

Briefly retell your story 

When you start your letter, briefly retell your story. In big emotional moments, memories can get jumbled. Also, your recollection of the events may be very different from theirs.

Help them see things from your viewpoint by sharing what happened just before they arrived. Then share what you recall from the event itself. This will help you and the other person start from the same point. Making your story distinct may be particularly helpful if the other person is an EMT or works in an emergency room.

Emphasize the critical action they took

Details of a critical moment can get lost in emotion and adrenaline. After some time has passed, highlight the urgent action they took to make a difference for you. If this person didn’t know you before, give them a little back story and emphasize why their involvement was so important. By sharing the most vital moments of that day, you put pieces together to form a bigger picture for them. 

Acknowledge their courage

It’s hard how you might act in an emergency until it happens to you. It’s so easy to freeze at a moment like this. Even a person with a lot of emergency care experience can feel a flood of emotion. Recognize their courage and how it made a difference for you.

Sometimes it’s hard to control your body and mind when reacting to an emergency. When a person takes action despite feeling shocked or afraid, it’s courage that makes it possible.

Express your gratitude and what it means to you

Your gratitude is the meat of your letter. Once you’ve explained the circumstances and how they made a difference in that moment, do your best to express your gratitude. Start with a simple “thank you.” If you’re having difficulty coming up with the right words, just begin with this. The other person is a human just like you, and they’ll understand the difficulty you may have.  

Consider mentioning a few important moments in your life that are possible because of their act. You can celebrate an anniversary, reach a milestone birthday, or take part in a family reunion.  You can be there for your loved ones, something that may not have happened if it weren’t for the person you’re thanking. Sharing those future experiences can make it all worth it for them.

Include a picture  

Including a picture may be helpful for a number of reasons:

• You can give the other person a face and name to the event they remember.
• You may look quite different in a nice picture than you did when your life was on the line.
• Your photo can give more life and personality to the memory of those critical moments.

By providing a picture, you can add another layer to their experience instead of a blurry emotional memory.

Highlight a few personal aspects of your life currently  

One of the most impactful things you can do is share what’s going on in your life right now. This is somewhat like sharing upcoming special events that you can take part in, except it’s more about your everyday impact on the world. Explain what you do for a job, as a volunteer, or what you do for your family. Describe the impact you have on other people and what you’re able to do because they saved you. 

Take some of these ideas to help you with the wording in your thank you letter. You’ll find examples for several situations. 

For nurses, doctors, or paramedics

Medical professionals need to be ready for emergencies at any time. And while many would just say that they were doing their job, they are people too. Medical professionals often prefer to stay under the radar and give credit to their support teams instead. In this case, consider giving credit to them individually and also to their workplace or organization. 

A simple thank you doesn’t seem to be enough, for your extraordinary act saved and changed my life. I understand that you may not wish to be in the limelight, so I also thank your entire medical team for everything they do to support you. Even if they were not involved in helping me in that moment, they support what you do every day. So please also give my thanks to your team for what you did for me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

For a close friend, family member, or mentor

When someone makes a heroic effort to save your life, you may feel like you’ll never be on equal footing again. It may seem strange, but this can be more difficult to wrestle with when it’s someone close to you. This person isn’t a stranger that you may never see again.

You may wonder how you and the other person can go back to regular life, casually hanging out and spending time together. Even so, they are probably just happy to know you are doing well. Here’s one example of what to include in a thank you letter to a family member .

Thanks to you, I now have two birthdays. Yes, that means you may need to give me another gift every year! My original birthday is when I was born as a baby. The second birthday is the day you saved me. I can’t ever truly repay you for what you did. You can’t wrap that up in a box and hand over a gift like that. So let’s celebrate by enjoying each moment we are together on this earth. I will surely appreciate every single day from here.

For someone who saved your loved one’s life

One of the scariest moments in life is knowing you may lose someone you love. When someone steps in and saves them, you may wonder what you could ever say to explain your gratitude. Here are a few words that can help you express your thoughts.

I’ll never forget the moment I thought I was about to lose my loved one. They were almost gone when you jumped in and took action. Without your confidence and quick thinking, I would have a deep hole in my heart right now. Instead, I got a second chance to enjoy more time with my loved one. There’s no way I can truly repay you, but please know that my gratitude will live on for the rest of my life for everything you did.

Writing a letter to someone who saves you can be a meaningful way to process those critical moments in your life. However, there may be other forms of expression that fit your needs better. 

Consider honoring them publicly for their life-saving act 

Some communities give local awards honoring extraordinary acts of generosity or heroism. Charities, sporting organizations, and support groups often publicize the award winners through local media outlets or at special events.

Find out what’s available in your community or regional area. Be aware that some people are uncomfortable with publicity, so consider honoring them within a larger group, if possible.

Offer to meet them in person 

If the person is willing and lives nearby, offer to meet up with them for coffee or a meal. It’s not that paying for their coffee evens up the ledgers between you. Creating a human connection is what makes the impact. Sharing your thoughts in person can continue the story for them beyond that fateful day.

Instead of just a moment of impact, you add another chapter to the story. Be aware that meeting in person may be a lot for the other person to process, so take this step slow and be patient.

Consider sending brief follow-ups in the future 

Sending one detailed thank you letter shortly after the event can be very moving. But ongoing communication can also be meaningful. Sharing snippets of your life highlights the impact they made. You’re showing them what they made possible, like special family occasions and more birthdays.

Pay it forward 

If you can’t reconnect with the person who saved you, you can still honor them by paying it forward. Find opportunities to support people who do good in your community. If you live in a smaller city or town, support fundraisers that allow fire and rescue services to operate. Or find a charity service near you that provides safety and support services for people in need.

Look for homeless shelters, food banks, or safe houses for people escaping abuse. The depth of your gratitude can motivate you to make a difference for others every day. 

Thanking Someone - Living With Gratitude Every Day 

Thanking someone who has saved your life can feel like a daunting task. Writing a simple letter of thanks is a great start, but there are other ways to say thank you , too. Whatever you do, carry your gratitude with you as a reminder of your second chance at life.

• “Multiple Neurons in the Brain Must Fire in Synchrony to Create Strong "Emotional" Memories.” Columbia University Irving Medical Center , 13 July 2020, www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/why-are-memories-attached-emotions-so-strong

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• Relationships

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How to Thank Someone Who Saved Your Life (The Right Way)

Do you know that saving a life can have long-lasting psychological effects on the person who performed the rescue?

A 2014 study published in the journal BMC Psychiatry found that rescuers may experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the months following the rescue, including intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, and avoidance behaviour.

So it’s great to want to express true gratitude to someone who saved your life.

This could be a healthcare professional who provided life-saving treatment, a firefighter who rescued you from a burning building, or any other person who intervened in a life-threatening situation.

The question is how to thank someone who saved your life (the right way) without coming across as overbearing or insincere.

Besides, the right way to express your gratitude can vary depending on the circumstances, culture, and relationship you have with the person.

Hence, with this article, I will guide you on how to show appreciation to someone who saves your life without doing too much or too little; just doing it right so your appreciation is well taken.

Do not forget to comment on this post by sharing your story of how your hero saved your life.

When we talk about how to thank someone who saved your life (the right way), we have to first take into consideration some key factors.

They include:

You have to express your gratitude as soon as possible after the incident, while also giving the person enough space and time to process their own emotions and recover from the experience.

When expressing your gratitude, you have to use the right tone, which should be sincere, heartfelt, and respectful.

Depending on the situation and the person’s preferences, you may want to consider offering a gift or a symbolic gesture of appreciation.

This could be anything from a handwritten note to a more elaborate token of gratitude.

You should also consider the level of privacy the person may prefer.

Some individuals may not want public recognition and may prefer a more private expression of gratitude.

If they don’t want any recognition or don’t want to be contacted, respect their wishes.

This shows that you appreciate them and their boundaries.

Cultural Norms

Be aware of cultural norms and expectations, particularly if the person you are thanking comes from a different cultural background.

By taking these factors into account, you can ensure that you express your gratitude in a way that is respectful, appropriate, and meaningful to the person who saved your life.

So here’s how to thank someone who saved your life (the right way):

Express Your Gratitude Verbally

When someone saves your life, the first thing you should do is express your gratitude verbally.

You can say “thank you” or something more heartfelt like “I owe you my life.”

Also, let the person know exactly how their actions made a difference in your life.

For example, you might say something like, “I am so grateful for what you did. If you hadn’t performed CPR when you did, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Furthermore, express how you feel about what they did.

You might say something like, “I can’t express how grateful I am. You saved my life, and I will never forget what you did for me.”

Write a Heartfelt Letter

In addition to verbal gratitude, writing a heartfelt letter is another way to express your gratitude.

In the letter, you can thank the person for saving your life, and express how grateful you are and how much you appreciate them.

Start with a heartfelt greeting. Then begin the letter by addressing the person by name and expressing your gratitude.

You can start with “To my hero,” or any other greeting that feels appropriate to you.

Moreover, write about how grateful you are for the person’s actions and how they saved your life.

Be specific about what they did and how it affected you. Use descriptive language to paint a picture of the impact they had on your life.

Also, talk about how the person’s actions made you feel.

Did it give you a renewed appreciation for life? Did it inspire you to make changes in your life?

Be honest and vulnerable in your writing.

Share any insights or lessons you learned from the experience. Did it teach you something about yourself or life in general?

This effort can help the person feel like their actions had a lasting impact on you.

Finally, end the letter by thanking the person again for what they did and reiterating how much it means to you.

You can also offer to be there for them if they ever need anything.

Want to see an example?

Here’s an example  of a letter of appreciation:

Dear [Name],

I’m writing this letter to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible act of heroism you displayed when you saved my life. Words cannot express how thankful I am for what you did for me.

Your quick thinking and brave actions saved me from what could have been a tragic outcome. Your selflessness and dedication to helping others are truly inspiring, and I feel blessed to have you in my life.

The experience has given me a new appreciation for life and reminded me of the importance of cherishing every moment. I will never forget what you did for me and will carry it with me always.

Thank you again for everything you did for me. Please know that if you ever need anything, I am here for you.

Sincerely, [Your name]

Offer a Gift

A gift can be a way to express your gratitude, but you must choose the right gift.

The gift should be thoughtful and meaningful, something that the person will appreciate.

Think about what the person likes or enjoys doing.

You can choose a gift that aligns with their hobbies or interests, such as a book by their favourite author, a gift card to their favourite store or restaurant, or tickets to a concert or sporting event.

You can also personalize the gift to show that you put thought and effort into it.

For instance, you can engrave their name on the gift.

This action can make the gift even more special and meaningful.

While it’s essential to show your appreciation, you don’t want to go overboard with the gift.

Thus, consider the relationship you have with the person and what would be appropriate for that level of relationship.

Donate to Charity

Donating to a charity in honour of someone who saved your life is a wonderful way to express your gratitude and pay tribute to their kindness and heroism.

It indicates that you recognize and appreciate their selflessness, and it can also help to make a positive impact in the world.

When choosing a charity to donate to, consider the values and causes that the person who saved your life holds dear.

For example, if they are passionate about environmental conservation, you could donate to a nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting natural habitats or promoting sustainable practices.

If they have a personal connection to a specific disease or medical condition, you could donate to a medical research foundation that is working to find a cure or treatment.

Ensure that the charity you choose is reputable and transparent with how they use donations.

Look for organizations that have a proven track record of making a measurable impact in their area of focus and are accountable to their donors.

When you make your donation, include a message that explains why you are donating in honour of the person who saved your life.

They will appreciate knowing that their actions have made a lasting impact not only on you, but on others as well.

Volunteer Your Time

If the person who saved your life is involved in a particular charity or cause, you can volunteer your time to help them.

This move demonstrates that you appreciate them and are willing to support their cause.

You can also decide to volunteer in their honour.

To do this, consider a cause or organization that is dear to the person who saved your life.

For instance, if they are passionate about animal welfare, you could volunteer at a local animal shelter or rescue organization.

If they are a supporter of a particular charity or cause, consider volunteering for that organization.

Also, commit to volunteering regularly.

Dedicate your time and energy to the cause or organization, and let them know that you are volunteering in honour of the person who saved your life.

You can also share your volunteer experience with others and encourage them to get involved too.

This can help raise awareness for the cause or organization and inspire others to volunteer their time.

Send Them Flowers

Sending flowers to someone who saved your life is a thoughtful and appropriate way to express your gratitude and appreciation.

Flowers can convey many different messages depending on their type and colour, so ensure to choose the right ones for the occasion.

If you’re unsure which flowers to choose, you could consider the person’s preferences or cultural background.

Otherwise, you could choose flowers that symbolize gratitude and appreciation, such as roses, carnations, or sunflowers.

Yellow roses, in particular, are often associated with gratitude and friendship.

When sending the flowers, include a note or card expressing your thanks and explaining how much their actions meant to you.

Including a note or card will make the gesture even more meaningful and personal.

Keep in Touch

Keeping in touch with the person who saved your life is a great way to show your gratitude.

Connect with the person on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

Creating this connection will help you keep them updated on your life while asking them how they are doing.

Also, schedule a regular phone or video calls to catch up and stay in touch.

If you are both okay with it, plan to meet in person to express your gratitude and catch up.

This will help strengthen your relationship and create a more personal connection.

Other ways to show gratitude the right way to someone who saved your life include offering to be a reference, writing a recommendation, attending their events, hosting a dinner, making a scrapbook, writing a song or poem for them (if you’re creative), cooking their favourite meal, offering to help them or paying it forward.

Finalization

Expressing gratitude to someone who saved your life is a fundamental way to show appreciation and honour their actions.

There are many ways to show gratitude, including verbal expressions, written letters, gifts, donations, keeping in touch, volunteering, and more.

Choose a method that is personal and meaningful to both you and the person who saved your life.

By showing gratitude, we acknowledge the value of human life and the importance of helping one another.

Kindly share this article on your social media  if you love it. I appreciate you.

Published by Kehinde Victoria

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Backstory: I struggled with depression and self-harm from 7 th grade until my sophomore year of high school. I don’t really know where it began. Maybe it was the stress of middle school and growing up? Maybe it was my auto-immune disorder that was making me sick at the time? Maybe it was just the chemicals in my brain making me feel haywire? It’s hard to tell the reasoning behind the origin, but for me, it is beyond easy to find the reasons I stopped. Here is my thank you letter to those who made that possible.

Thank you to my parents and my siblings for never giving up on me. I know there were many times you really wanted to scream and maybe throw a fit right back at me. And although it happened a few times, I needed that. I needed to see how much I was hurting others with my actions. I needed to see how strong my mother and father were when they didn’t break down, but I also needed to see them cry every now and then because of me.

Thank you to my siblings for calling me out on my unreasonable behavior and giving me a hug when I had finally calmed down. Thank you for making me see that I needed help. I needed your support and efforts and I know I put a huge stress on our family, but I cannot thank you enough for never wavering with your love. Thank you for never holding my past against me and always sending me your love and support every day.

My best friend:

Thank you to that one friend I truly had who was always there with wise words and hand written letters through it all. Who always made me promise not to hurt myself and was always there to hold me when I broke that promise. Thank you for always being a phone call away, never judging me, and being the one who finally told somebody. Thank you for being brave enough to be the voice I couldn’t be, even if it meant me being angry with you for a while. Thank you for being so strong when I wasn’t. And especially, thank you for bringing me to God.

My therapist:

Thank you for not letting me call myself crazy. Thank you for letting me sit and color on days where words just couldn’t be said. Thank you for helping my parents understand me. Thank you for helping my family heal. Thank you for not making me feel like a little kid when I had a breakdown. Thank you for helping me understand my emotions and learn to let go of control every now and then.

It is impossible for me to write in a 500 word essay all that I would like to say and include all the people I would like to thank, but these are the most thank you’ s that need to be preached after so much time. Anyone who has ever struggled or seen someone struggle with depression, self-harm, anxiety, or even suicide deserves a huge thank you for continuing to fight and live their lives every single day. It is one tough battle, I can tell you that! However, living my life and learning to love myself was the greatest accomplishment I have ever made! So thank you, thank you for choosing to live another day and thank you to those who made it possible for me to be here writing this today.

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25 beatles lyrics: your go-to guide for every situation, the best lines from the fab four.

For as long as I can remember, I have been listening to The Beatles. Every year, my mom would appropriately blast “Birthday” on anyone’s birthday. I knew all of the words to “Back In The U.S.S.R” by the time I was 5 (Even though I had no idea what or where the U.S.S.R was). I grew up with John, Paul, George, and Ringo instead Justin, JC, Joey, Chris and Lance (I had to google N*SYNC to remember their names). The highlight of my short life was Paul McCartney in concert twice. I’m not someone to “fangirl” but those days I fangirled hard. The music of The Beatles has gotten me through everything. Their songs have brought me more joy, peace, and comfort. I can listen to them in any situation and find what I need. Here are the best lyrics from The Beatles for every and any occasion.

And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

The End- Abbey Road, 1969

The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful and so are you

Dear Prudence- The White Album, 1968

Love is old, love is new, love is all, love is you

Because- Abbey Road, 1969

There's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be

All You Need Is Love, 1967

Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend

We Can Work It Out- Rubber Soul, 1965

He say, "I know you, you know me", One thing I can tell you is you got to be free

Come Together- Abbey Road, 1969

Oh please, say to me, You'll let me be your man. And please say to me, You'll let me hold your hand

I Wanna Hold Your Hand- Meet The Beatles!, 1964

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play. They've been going in and out of style, but they're guaranteed to raise a smile

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-1967

Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see

Strawberry Fields Forever- Magical Mystery Tour, 1967

Can you hear me? When it rains and shine, it's just a state of mind

Rain- Paperback Writer "B" side, 1966

Little darling, it's been long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it' s been here. Here comes the sun, Here comes the sun, and I say it's alright

Here Comes The Sun- Abbey Road, 1969

We danced through the night and we held each other tight, and before too long I fell in love with her. Now, I'll never dance with another when I saw her standing there

Saw Her Standing There- Please Please Me, 1963

I love you, I love you, I love you, that's all I want to say

Michelle- Rubber Soul, 1965

You say you want a revolution. Well you know, we all want to change the world

Revolution- The Beatles, 1968

All the lonely people, where do they all come from. All the lonely people, where do they all belong

Eleanor Rigby- Revolver, 1966

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends

With A Little Help From My Friends- Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967

Hey Jude, don't make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better

Hey Jude, 1968

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday

Yesterday- Help!, 1965

And when the brokenhearted people, living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be.

Let It Be- Let It Be, 1970

And anytime you feel the pain, Hey Jude, refrain. Don't carry the world upon your shoulders

I'll give you all i got to give if you say you'll love me too. i may not have a lot to give but what i got i'll give to you. i don't care too much for money. money can't buy me love.

Can't Buy Me Love- A Hard Day's Night, 1964

All you need is love, love is all you need

All You Need Is Love- Magical Mystery Tour, 1967

Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly. all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.

Blackbird- The White Album, 1968

Though I know I'll never lose affection, for people and things that went before. I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I love you more

In My Life- Rubber Soul, 1965

While these are my 25 favorites, there are quite literally 1000s that could have been included. The Beatles' body of work is massive and there is something for everyone. If you have been living under a rock and haven't discovered the Fab Four, you have to get musically educated. Stream them on Spotify, find them on iTunes or even buy a CD or record (Yes, those still exist!). I would suggest starting with 1, which is a collection of most of their #1 songs, or the 1968 White Album. Give them chance and you'll never look back.

14 Invisible Activities: Unleash Your Inner Ghost!

Obviously the best superpower..

The best superpower ever? Being invisible of course. Imagine just being able to go from seen to unseen on a dime. Who wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be invisible? Superman and Batman have nothing on being invisible with their superhero abilities. Here are some things that you could do while being invisible, because being invisible can benefit your social life too.

1. "Haunt" your friends.

Follow them into their house and cause a ruckus.

2. Sneak into movie theaters.

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3. Sneak into the pantry and grab a snack without judgment.

Late night snacks all you want? Duh.

4. Reenact "Hollow Man" and play Kevin Bacon.

America's favorite son? And feel what it's like to be in a MTV Movie Award nominated film? Sign me up.

5. Wear a mask and pretend to be a floating head.

Just another way to spook your friends in case you wanted to.

6. Hold objects so they'll "float."

"Oh no! A floating jar of peanut butter."

7. Win every game of hide-and-seek.

Just stand out in the open and you'll win.

8. Eat some food as people will watch it disappear.

Even everyday activities can be funny.

9. Go around pantsing your friends.

Even pranks can be done; not everything can be good.

10. Not have perfect attendance.

You'll say here, but they won't see you...

11. Avoid anyone you don't want to see.

Whether it's an ex or someone you hate, just use your invisibility to slip out of the situation.

12. Avoid responsibilities.

Chores? Invisible. People asking about social life? Invisible. Family being rude? Boom, invisible.

13. Be an expert on ding-dong-ditch.

Never get caught and have the adrenaline rush? I'm down.

14. Brag about being invisible.

Be the envy of the town.

But don't, I repeat, don't go in a locker room. Don't be a pervert with your power. No one likes a Peeping Tom.

Good luck, folks.

19 Lessons I'll Never Forget from Growing Up In a Small Town

There have been many lessons learned..

Small towns certainly have their pros and cons. Many people who grow up in small towns find themselves counting the days until they get to escape their roots and plant new ones in bigger, "better" places. And that's fine. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought those same thoughts before too. We all have, but they say it's important to remember where you came from. When I think about where I come from, I can't help having an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my roots. Being from a small town has taught me so many important lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

1. The importance of traditions.

Sometimes traditions seem like a silly thing, but the fact of it is that it's part of who you are. You grew up this way and, more than likely, so did your parents. It is something that is part of your family history and that is more important than anything.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

No matter how many times they get on your nerves or make you mad, they are the ones who will always be there and you should never take that for granted.

3. How to give back.

When tragedy strikes in a small town, everyone feels obligated to help out because, whether directly or indirectly, it affects you too. It is easy in a bigger city to be able to disconnect from certain problems. But in a small town those problems affect everyone.

4. What the word "community" really means.

Along the same lines as #3, everyone is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand when you need one in a small town and to me that is the true meaning of community. It's working together to build a better atmosphere, being there to raise each other up, build each other up, and pick each other up when someone is in need. A small town community is full of endless support whether it be after a tragedy or at a hometown sports game. Everyone shows up to show their support.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

People say this to others all the time, but it takes on a whole new meaning in a small town. It is true that life is about the journey, but when you're from a small town, you know it's about the journey because the journey probably takes longer than you spend at the destination. Everything is so far away that it is totally normal to spend a couple hours in the car on your way to some form of entertainment. And most of the time, you're gonna have as many, if not more, memories and laughs on the journey than at the destination.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

Word travels fast in a small town, so don't think you're gonna get away with anything. In fact, your parents probably know what you did before you even have a chance to get home and tell them. And forget about being scared of what your teacher, principle, or other authority figure is going to do, you're more afraid of what your parents are gonna do when you get home.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

Everyone deserves a chance. Most people don't have ill-intentions and you can't live your life guarding against every one else just because a few people in your life have betrayed your trust.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

While small towns are not always extremely diverse, they do contain people with a lot of different stories, struggle, and backgrounds. In a small town, it is pretty hard to exclude anyone because of who they are or what they come from because there aren't many people to choose from. A small town teaches you that just because someone isn't the same as you, doesn't mean you can't be great friends.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

In a small town, you learn that it's okay to be who you are and do your own thing. You learn that confidence isn't how beautiful you are or how much money you have, it's who you are on the inside.

10. How to work for what I want.

Nothing comes easy in life. They always say "gardens don't grow overnight" and if you're from a small town you know this both figuratively and literally. You certainly know gardens don't grow overnight because you've worked in a garden or two. But you also know that to get to the place you want to be in life it takes work and effort. It doesn't just happen because you want it to.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

If you're from a small town, you know that you will probably only meet a handful of people in your life who ACTUALLY know where your town is. And forget about the people who accidentally enter into your town because of google maps. You've gotten really good at giving them directions right back to the interstate.

12. How to be humble .

My small town has definitely taught me how to be humble. It isn't always about you, and anyone who grows up in a small town knows that. Everyone gets their moment in the spotlight, and since there's so few of us, we're probably best friends with everyone so we are as excited when they get their moment of fame as we are when we get ours.

13. To be well-rounded.

Going to a small town high school definitely made me well-rounded. There isn't enough kids in the school to fill up all the clubs and sports teams individually so be ready to be a part of them all.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

In a small town, good luck holding a grudge. In a bigger city you can just avoid a person you don't like or who you've had problems with. But not in a small town. You better resolve the issue fast because you're bound to see them at least 5 times a week.

15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

One of my favorite things about growing up in a rural area was being able to go outside and go exploring and not have to worry about being in danger. There is nothing more exciting then finding a new place somewhere in town or in the woods and just spending time there enjoying the natural beauty around you.

16. To be prepared for anything.

You never know what may happen. If you get a flat tire, you better know how to change it yourself because you never know if you will be able to get ahold of someone else to come fix it. Mechanics might be too busy , or more than likely you won't even have enough cell service to call one.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

It's okay to ask for help. One thing I realized when I moved away from my town for college, was how much my town has taught me that I could ask for help is I needed it. I got into a couple situations outside of my town where I couldn't find anyone to help me and found myself thinking, if I was in my town there would be tons of people ready to help me. And even though I couldn't find anyone to help, you better believe I wasn't afraid to ask.

18. How to be creative.

When you're at least an hour away from normal forms of entertainment such as movie theaters and malls, you learn to get real creative in entertaining yourself. Whether it be a night looking at the stars in the bed of a pickup truck or having a movie marathon in a blanket fort at home, you know how to make your own good time.

19. To brush off gossip.

It's all about knowing the person you are and not letting others influence your opinion of yourself. In small towns, there is plenty of gossip. But as long as you know who you really are, it will always blow over.

Grateful Beyond Words: A Letter to My Inspiration

I have never been so thankful to know you..

I can't say "thank you" enough to express how grateful I am for you coming into my life. You have made such a huge impact on my life. I would not be the person I am today without you and I know that you will keep inspiring me to become an even better version of myself.

You have taught me that you don't always have to strong. You are allowed to break down as long as you pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. When life had you at your worst moments, you allowed your friends to be there for you and to help you. You let them in and they helped pick you up. Even in your darkest hour you showed so much strength. I know that you don't believe in yourself as much as you should but you are unbelievably strong and capable of anything you set your mind to.

Your passion to make a difference in the world is unbelievable. You put your heart and soul into your endeavors and surpass any personal goal you could have set. Watching you do what you love and watching you make a difference in the lives of others is an incredible experience. The way your face lights up when you finally realize what you have accomplished is breathtaking and I hope that one day I can have just as much passion you have.

SEE MORE: A Letter To My Best Friend On Her Birthday

The love you have for your family is outstanding. Watching you interact with loved ones just makes me smile . You are so comfortable and you are yourself. I see the way you smile when you are around family and I wish I could see you smile like this everyday. You love with all your heart and this quality is something I wished I possessed.

You inspire me to be the best version of myself. I look up to you. I feel that more people should strive to have the strength and passion that you exemplify in everyday life.You may be stubborn at points but when you really need help you let others in, which shows strength in itself. I have never been more proud to know someone and to call someone my role model. You have taught me so many things and I want to thank you. Thank you for inspiring me in life. Thank you for making me want to be a better person.

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life..

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Don't freak out

This is a rule you should continue to follow no matter what you do in life, but is especially helpful in this situation.

Email the professor

Around this time, professors are getting flooded with requests from students wanting to get into full classes. This doesn't mean you shouldn't burden them with your email; it means they are expecting interested students to email them. Send a short, concise message telling them that you are interested in the class and ask if there would be any chance for you to get in.

Attend the first class

Often, the advice professors will give you when they reply to your email is to attend the first class. The first class isn't the most important class in terms of what will be taught. However, attending the first class means you are serious about taking the course and aren't going to give up on it.

Keep attending class

Every student is in the same position as you are. They registered for more classes than they want to take and are "shopping." For the first couple of weeks, you can drop or add classes as you please, which means that classes that were once full will have spaces. If you keep attending class and keep up with assignments, odds are that you will have priority. Professors give preference to people who need the class for a major and then from higher to lower class year (senior to freshman).

Have a backup plan

For two weeks, or until I find out whether I get into my waitlisted class, I will be attending more than the usual number of classes. This is so that if I don't get into my waitlisted class, I won't have a credit shortage and I won't have to fall back in my backup class. Chances are that enough people will drop the class, especially if it is very difficult like computer science, and you will have a chance. In popular classes like art and psychology, odds are you probably won't get in, so prepare for that.

Remember that everything works out at the end

Life is full of surprises. So what if you didn't get into the class you wanted? Your life obviously has something else in store for you. It's your job to make sure you make the best out of what you have.

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A crisis at the kids’ table

I just saved someone’s life. it’s easy if you know how..

At the age of 67, I just did something I’d never done before. I used the Heimlich Maneuver on somebody — and it worked!

I was at a birthday celebration for my favorite one-year-old. The kids had spent the first hour of the party at play, and now a big happy group of children and their parents were enjoying a feast of bagels and cream cheese and lox and watermelon and looking forward to birthday cake.

I was sitting at a table with a toddler, a baby, and a four-year-old — supervising their lunch and enjoying their company. The only other grown-up at the table was Tracy, formerly the four-year-old’s pre-school teacher and now a family friend.

“Can you breathe?”

Tracy and I are both the kind of fun-loving women in our 60s who are good with kids and who, given a choice, will hang with the toddlers instead of the adults. She was sitting with the baby and the toddler and I, across the table, was sitting with the four-year-old. She and I were schmoozing and enjoying our bagels when suddenly Tracy started to make choking sounds and wave her hands frantically.

Five years ago, I’d attended a lifesaving course that the library where I worked had offered its employees. I’d forgotten all about that course, but when Tracy started choking, what I’d learned half a decade ago about the Heimlich Maneuver kicked right in.

“Can you breathe?” I asked her.

She frantically shook her head no.

(If the person can breathe, or if the person can cough or speak, keep watch, but do not try any physical maneuvers.)

I jumped up and zipped around the table to where she was sitting.

“Can you breathe?” I asked again.

She shook her head no, looking agonized.

So I did what they’d told me to do at the training. I got behind her, put my arms around her stomach, locked my hands together in a fist, and pulled up sharply under her rib cage.

The piece of bagel she’d been choking on popped out. And she was breathing again!

Just like that.

To be honest, I’d expected that I’d have to try several times before it actually worked. Or that I’d try and fail, and then have to jump up and start shouting about what was happening to see if anyone at the party had any real training in saving lives.

But no. The Heimlich Maneuver worked like a charm. The first time.

Quick and quiet

Tracy looked at me, shaken. “You saved my life,” she said. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” I said. “I’m actually surprised that it worked.”

“I’m glad it did,” she said. “I thought I was going to die. I was waiting to see my life pass before my eyes.”

I sat beside her for a moment rubbing her back and making sure that she was okay while the party continued around us. I’d just saved a life — and nobody had even noticed! It had been very quick and very quiet. Tracy couldn’t make a sound, and I hadn’t said anything other than asking her about her ability to breathe.

The only people who had noticed that something unusual had just happened were the children at the table with us, who were now looking at us curiously as Tracy grabbed a napkin and cleaned up the very small mess she’d made coughing up the bagel.

“Teacher Tracy threw up,” the four-year-old observed.

“And now she feels much better,” I reassured him. “People often feel better after they throw up.”

This information satisfied him, and he went back to eating his lunch.

And that was that.

It felt a little odd that something so momentous had just happened and nobody else was aware of it. If either Tracy or I had started hollering and shouting (“ You could have died! ”) everyone would have noticed and kicked up a fuss.

But I’m a retired librarian and Tracy is a pre-school teacher. We’re both in professions where you learn to take things in stride. It had happened. It was over. It turned out okay. No reason to spoil the party by making it about anything other than a much-loved baby turning one.

Although Tracy did thank me a few more times. And when I told my friends and family about it later, everyone showered me with praise and said they were proud of me.

Choosing to be ready

I hadn’t been sure about whether to attend that CPR course. I’ve always been a bit of a klutz and I’d assumed that if I ever actually tried to use the Heimlich Maneuver, I’d probably get it wrong. But I’m so glad I did — five years later, klutz or not, what they taught me kicked right in — and it worked.

As it turns out, it’s surprisingly easy to save a life.

All of us are exhausted and traumatized by the death and tragedy of the past two years. It sometimes feels as if everything is hopeless, and that what we do as individuals can’t possibly matter. But there’s always a way that we can have a positive impact on those around us by making smart choices and preparing in a responsible way. The impact may be small — or it could be lifesaving.

If you’ve ever thought about learning how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver yourself, I’m here to encourage you to go right ahead.

Saving a life feels great.

For information about learning how to save a life or perform first aid yourself, check out a wide range of classes from the Red Cross or Citywide CPR , including online options; or visit Heimlich Heroes .

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A Fateful Day in San Diego: True Friendship Amidst Peril

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The Journey to the Shore

A Day of Unbridled Joy

Navigating the perilous waters, a bond forged in peril, looking ahead.

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To the Friend Who Saved My Life When I Attempted Suicide

I have been trying to find the right words to say in this letter for so many years. If I’m being honest, I still don’t believe I’ve found them, but I’m going to try anyway.

I realized a little over a year ago that other people have died from suicide attempts with less of the exact same means than what I used. I always knew I shouldn’t have survived that night but that made it even more real.

A lot of people knew I was struggling. A lot of people knew I wasn’t OK. But you were the person who made the phone call. You were the person who stepped in. You were the person who cared enough to do something. You are the reason I didn’t die that night. You are also one of many reasons I’m still alive today.

I know that couldn’t have been easy. I know that date is cemented in your mind just as much as it is cemented in my own. I know that took more courage and strength than words can express.

In trying to find the right words to say in this letter, I didn’t know if I should start with “I’m sorry” or “thank you” — so I’m saying both.

I’m sorry I put you in the position where you had to do that. I’m sorry I didn’t acknowledge it directly sooner. I’m sorry for all the times I’ve tried to move on like it never happened without acknowledging your side of it.

Thank you for caring. Thank you for not walking away. Thank you for being there, even in the times when I’m sure it pained you in ways I will never understand. Thank you for being a friend who I know I can count on, for always taking the time to love so deeply and fully and for not being afraid to ask hard questions when something doesn’t seem quite right.

Sweet friend, your friendship is invaluable for so many reasons — and it has been long before that night. You are an incredible person in so many ways. I am beyond blessed to know you and far more blessed to call you my friend. I am so thankful for the person you are and the blessing you are in the lives of so many.

In the midst of all the times I haven’t addressed this, through all of the moments I avoided allowing the topic to enter conversation, I hope you know it was purely because I had not found the right words. I hope you realize it was because I know I will never understand what that night was like for you beyond the fact that it must have been incredibly difficult. I was afraid I would say the wrong thing at the wrong time or reopen the wrong wound. I realize now that in not addressing it, I probably invalidated your experience in a way — and I’m sorry for that.

When I think about our friendship, I remember so many different things and so much more than that one night (while that night is also something I could never forget). To me, that night involved so many people and circumstances that when I remember it, there really isn’t any one person I think of. But for you, I realize you never saw all the other pieces.

You weren’t there when the police showed up, when the paramedics took the bottle out of my pocket, when my family asked if going to the hospital was “really necessary” or when the nurse stayed in my room to talk to me for hours. You weren’t there when the things happened that led up to it, when I had flashbacks that no one addressed or when I told countless professionals I wasn’t OK — only to be dismissed over and over again.

And it wasn’t that you wouldn’t have been there for me — you have proven over and over again that you are always there. But at the time, I refused to let you in — and I’m sorry for that.

I realized tonight you are still affected by that night — that it’s still something you think about and remember. I won’t pretend to know how often or what that’s like for you, but I felt it was time for me to address it directly.

I love you times infinity to the infinity. Always. Christa

If you or someone you know needs help, visit our suicide prevention resources .

If you need support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or reach the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741741.

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5 Strong UPenn “Thank You” Essay Examples

What’s covered, essay example 1 – the power of the arts, essay example 2 – turning a flaw into a talent, essay example 3 – girl dad, essay example 4 – thank you for the music, essay example 5 – middle school english.

• Where to Get Feedback on your UPenn Essays

Founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin, the University of Pennsylvania is one of the eight Ivy League institutions. Its beautiful campus features unique red-and-green-brick buildings, gorgeous tree-lined paths, and lots of tributes to Ben Franklin. In addition to its elite academics, UPenn is also known for its thriving student life–it’s even nicknamed “the social Ivy.” UPenn also enjoys the benefits of being situated in the heart of Philadelphia, just a stone’s throw from myriad museums, gardens, cathedrals, and historic sites, including Independence Hall.

Between its superb academics, vibrant social scene, and prime location, UPenn is one of the most competitive schools in the country. As a result, your essays need to shine, to set you apart from other smart, talented applicants. In this post, we’ll break down five responses to UPenn’s “Thank You” supplemental prompt, which was added during the 2022-2023 applications cycle. We’ll lay out what each essay did well, and any areas for improvement.

Please note: Looking at examples of real essays students have submitted to colleges can be very beneficial to get inspiration for your essays. You should never copy or plagiarize from these examples when writing your own essays. Colleges can tell when an essay isn’t genuine and will not view students favorably if they plagiarized.

Read our UPenn essay breakdown to get a comprehensive overview of this year’s supplemental prompts.

UPenn “Thank You” Prompt

The following essays respond to this prompt:

Write a short thank-you note to someone you have not yet thanked and would like to acknowledge. (We encourage you to share this note with that person, if possible, and reflect on the experience!) (150 – 200 words)

Since this prompt is a relatively recent addition to UPenn’s list of supplements, and doesn’t fit neatly into one of the classic supplemental essay boxes (like “Why School?” or “Why Major?” ), you may not be quite sure where to start. To help you out, we’ve compiled five responses real students wrote to this prompt. You can read the essays below, and get our breakdowns of each one’s strengths and weaknesses.

Dear Mrs. Peterson,

After finishing my drawing of Timothée Chalamet this semester, I was stunned by its beauty—it was one of the first pieces that I was proud of. Because of the debacle with the charcoal drawing of my sister last year, I avoided drawing another human. Yet, you persisted in encouraging me to tackle this challenge; from achieving Timothée’s chiseled cheekbones to highlighting his curls, you always stood by my side—even when I wanted to quit.

Honing my artistic abilities was only a portion of what you taught me. You always encouraged me to be vulnerable, and I am gratified by our insightful conversations. From consoling me through the stress of finals to supporting my aspirations of becoming a lawyer, you never wavered in listening to my stories. You weren’t just my art teacher, but my shoulder.

I am inspired by how you lead your life with compassion and authenticity. Watching you build a community through dialogue furthered my own love of interaction as an instrument to foster connection. Thank you for being my guidepost. You made a home for me in your class, and it saddens me that I will be leaving it soon.

Gratefully,

Future Empathetic Lawyer

What the Essay Did Well

A strong hook is an essential part of any essay, to really draw a reader into the story. This writer does an excellent job immediately grabbing our attention by describing a tangible object that represents why they are thankful to their art teacher, which is a far more powerful technique than just saying something general like “You have made me a much better artist.”

The drawing of Timothée Chalamet also serves as an anchor for the traits the writer wants to highlight about themselves, such as risk-taking (taking on the challenge of drawing “his chiseled cheekbones…[and] curls” ) and perseverance ( “you always stood by my side” ). Remember that showing your reader something about yourself, through a tangible example like an art project, makes your points far more convincing than just telling them you are a certain way, as then you’re just leaving them to take your word for it.

The writer also seamlessly transitions from talking about their drawing to talking about how their art teacher has helped them in general, with the line “Honing my artistic abilities was only a portion of what you taught me.” This line provides the perfect jumping-off point for the writer to show us how their teacher has supported them in non-art contexts as well.

Finally, in a big-picture sense, the writer strikes a great balance between highlighting their art teacher’s virtues, and how those virtues have helped them grow and develop their own personality. With this prompt, there’s a risk that you end up talking too much about the person you’re thanking, and not enough about yourself–remember, you’re the one admissions officers are trying to make a decision about! But this writer avoids that pitfall by always connecting the things they admire in their art teacher to qualities they have developed themselves.

What Could Be Improved

There is not much room for improvement in this essay. The author directly connects the values they have learned from their art teacher to tangible experiences, which ensures their essay will stand out even from other essays written about teachers.

The only point in the essay that reads a little strangely is the inclusion of the word “empathetic” in the student’s signature. Although we can read between the lines that they learned empathy from their teacher, that actually isn’t a value they name outright. They do highlight vulnerability, compassion, authenticity, and connection, so to make the end of the essay feel more cohesive, they could either replace “empathetic” with something like “compassionate,” or just make sure they do explicitly include empathy in the body of the essay.

Dear Mr. Gonzalez,

I want to take a moment to thank you for the encouragement and support you have given me throughout my high school career. You have been a great teacher and mentor, and I am lucky to have you in my life.

However, I would especially like to thank you for helping me discover my gifts and turning them into abilities. All my life, I have been told that my love of talking with anyone and everyone was an annoyance at best and a flaw at worst. You decided to turn this “flaw” into one of my greatest joys. You taught me how to meticulously craft words and introduced me to rhetoric. Before, I never noticed how perfectly my skill for speaking and writing played into my other skills and talents.

You helped me learn that I grow best when thrust into high-pressure situations. The speeches and the competitions you signed me up for made me incredibly nervous but also incredibly proud.

You taught me that anything you love can be used to bring you happiness, and, more importantly, to help others.

Much appreciative,

This student uses this letter to say a touching, genuine thank you to a teacher who has helped them “turn [a] ‘flaw’ into one of [their] greatest joys.” Rather than highlighting a more generic trait like work ethic, the writer chooses a core value that shows they are able to deeply reflect on how they became the person they are, and how this teacher helped them with that development.

The writer’s impressive ability for introspection is also shown by their description of how their loquaciousness has always been a part of them (which we understand from the line “All my life” ), but their teacher was the first person to help that quality blossom. Rather than framing the essay around a quality that someone else taught them directly, they show that they understand growth can happen in a variety of ways, which in turn shows that they are a mature, emotionally intelligent person.

The author begins their essay very generically, by thanking their teacher for “encouragement and support” and saying that he is a “great teacher and mentor.” Remember, the point of any college essay is to help distinguish yourself from other applicants, and these lines could have been plucked from just about anybody’s “Thank You” essay.

Especially given the low word count, the student should use each sentence purposefully, rather than wasting space on general pleasantries. They would be better off starting the letter with the line “I would like to thank you for helping me discover my gifts and turning them into abilities.” As noted above, this personal, specific reason they are grateful to their teacher is really the heart of the essay, and thus should be given as much attention as possible.

Along the same lines, cutting the general introductions at the beginning would also give the writer more space to explain how their teacher helped them become more confident in their gifts. Rather than just saying that he “taught [them] how to meticulously craft words and introduced [them] to rhetoric,” the writer should provide us with an anecdote that shows what their teacher did specifically to improve their speaking and writing skills. This might look something like:

“I will never forget breaking down some of history’s most famous speeches with you, from the Gettysburg Address to ‘I Have a Dream,’ and slowly starting to understand how I could use these great orators’ techniques myself.”

Likewise, in the third paragraph, the student should provide context for how they reacted to high-pressure situations before their teacher started signing them up for speeches and competitions. They could include something along the lines of “In the past, I always shied away from the spotlight and never felt confident enough to pursue my passion for public speaking, but your faith in my talents pushed me to break past my mental boundaries.” By telling us what the student was like before meeting Mr. Gonzalez, this line emphasizes the importance of the lesson they learned from him.

Finally, in the last sentence of the letter, the student says that their teacher has taught them “to help others.” However, the essay never discussed helping others, so this lesson comes out of nowhere. Especially in the conclusion, you want to be sure that the points you make are supported by the rest of the essay. In the case of this student, that means they would be better off just sticking with the line “You taught me that anything you love can be used to bring you happiness,” as that is a quality they have discussed in detail.

I’ll always remember the times you corrected our Arabic-speaking friends when they greeted you with Abu Jack [Jack’s father] instead of Abu Julia [Julia’s father], proudly breaking the patriarchal tradition of referring to parents by the name of their eldest son, even when their first child is a daughter. Despite our disagreements on everything from economics to foreign policy, your simultaneous open-mindedness and commitment to your values remind me to appreciate intellectual plurality grounded in respect.

Thank you for motivating me to constantly learn more with your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world. For inspiring me to see beauty in language, history, literature, and science. For strengthening my empathy through every late-night dinner debate. For spending hours discussing each book we share, from Sapiens to Sophie’s World.

Please never stop asking me for advice on your poetry to gauge whether your metaphors translate to English. Never lose the softness in your heart that makes you cry while we watch Coco for the third time because it reminds you of your family. Keep reminding me to “demand evidence and think critically,” even though I tease you for buying a sweatshirt plastered with the phrase.

Your mini-you

Although many other applicants are likely to write letters to parents or other family members, this writer ensures her essay will still stand out by structuring her essay around stories and anecdotes that are personal to her relationship with her dad. Her father’s rejection of a “patriarchal tradition,” two specific examples of books they have read together, and her description of one of his favorite sweatshirts all show what makes their connection different from any other between a father and daughter.

More broadly, these personal anecdotes help readers understand this writer’s background as a whole, not just her relationship with her dad. The essays are admissions officers’ number one resource for understanding how you’ll fit into their campus community as a person, not just a student, and this essay gives us a clear sense of the intellect and compassion this writer would contribute to late night conversations with her roommate, interactions with the dining hall staff, and all the other “little moments” that truly define a college experience.

Unfortunately, this essay falls into the trap outlined in our breakdown of Essay Example 1: we learn more about the author’s dad than we do about her. We know he breaks patriarchal tradition, has encyclopedia-like knowledge, loves poetry, and gets emotional when watching the movie Coco, but we don’t learn anything concrete about this student’s values, only that she admires these qualities in him.

To improve this, the author can reframe some of her ideas to be more focused on herself. For example, take the paragraph:

“Thank you for motivating me to constantly learn more with your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world. For inspiring me to see beauty in language, history, literature, and science. For strengthening my empathy through every late-night dinner debate. For spending hours discussing each book we share, from Sapiens to Sophie’s World.”

Instead of spending most of the space highlighting her father’s virtues, she should rephrase this paragraph to be grounded in actions she has taken as a result of feeling inspired by her father. This could look something like:

“Your encyclopedia-like knowledge of the world has motivated me to linger by paintings in museums for a few seconds longer, to make sure I fully grasp the artist’s intentions, give Moby Dick a second chance even though I couldn’t get past the third chapter on my first attempt, and start self-studying Italian.”

As you can see, fleshing out her ideas in this way will take up space, and right now the essay covers too much ground for her to do this for each point she makes: she touches on Arabic culture, disagreements they have had, films and books they’ve enjoyed together, and general values she has learned from her father like empathy.

Narrowing her focus will give her the space she needs to make the essay more personal, and also communicate in a more cohesive way what her dad has taught her, as right now readers might leave feeling confused about what the most important lesson she has learned from him is. Choosing just one or two things to focus on will make the essay feel more unified.

Dear Mrs. Charles,

Entering your classroom, it was the lively music that drew me in, yet it would be your energetic voice that would hook me into the countless lessons about history for the next nine months. There was no dull moment, only excitement and the curiosity to learn more. You have instilled beyond knowledge, but more importantly, the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me. You looked out for me even when I was too insecure about my residential status to ask for help. With my first ever letter of recommendation, you have since advocated for my academic career. Amidst overwhelming college applications, I sobbed reading your note, “Good Luck My Perfect young woman – You deserve the world!” You continuously believe in my potential, and that faith has emboldened me to be the resilient woman I am today. Thank you, Mrs. Charles, for encouraging me when things seemed impossible, mentoring me when I was lost, and strengthening my confidence when no one was there. It has been an honor to be your student, and I cannot wish for any other teachers to have changed my life this way.

This student’s genuine gratitude towards her teacher comes across in her strong personal voice, which is reflected in engaging lines like “there was no dull moment” and “the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me.” We can tell that the student’s appreciation for her teacher comes from moments that were truly formative for her, and that authenticity wins us over by pulling at our heartstrings with strong word choices and phrasings.

Although this essay does a great job of expressing the emotional depth of this student’s relationship with her teacher, it lacks the specific details to evidence how this relationship has grown over time. For example, the student writes:

“You have instilled beyond knowledge, but more importantly, the inquisitive admiration for education and especially America, an impression so deeply indented in an immigrant like me. You looked out for me even when I was too insecure about my residential status to ask for help.”

While these lines are compelling, and speak to how the teacher looks out for the writer as an individual, not just a student, we don’t get any details about how she “instilled beyond knowledge” or “looked out for” the student. An anecdote that provides some of those details would give us a clearer sense of why this relationship is so meaningful to this student. That might look something like:

“You went out of your way to meet with me every week as I prepared for my mock debate on the pros and cons of the American public education system, a system that, as an immigrant, I had always admired. I had been too nervous about my residential status to ask you for help understanding the points my peers knew instinctively, and so it meant the world to me when you asked me to join you for a snack at your desk after class one day. This discrete support made me feel simultaneously looked out for and empowered.”

Finally, this essay would look better on the page if it were split into two or even three paragraphs. A huge block of text on the page can be daunting, and you don’t want to turn off your readers before they even start. Plus, breaking up your ideas into smaller paragraphs can also make your essay easier to understand, as your reader can focus on one point at a time, rather than trying to keep everything in mind simultaneously as they’re reading.

Also on a structural level, the writer should have a signature of some kind. If you were writing a note to someone in a non-college essay context, you wouldn’t leave it unsigned. So, while it’s a small detail, to be true to what the prompt is asking, this student should include a signature.

Dear Mrs. King,

Even though it has been five years since I’ve stepped into your English classroom at Harrison Middle, I remember the sound of your enthusiastic voice and genuine smile like it was yesterday.

Your energy was contagious and your quick wittedness unmatched. The way you effortlessly enthralled the entire class with your love for writing is something I will never forget. When you organized a classwide debate based on our argumentative essay topics, you captivated everyone to the point where enthusiastic shouts bounced off the walls of the room.

You made us feel warm and comfortable. As a rigorous teacher and thinker, your lessons impacted me in and out of the classroom. The door to your classroom was always open if I needed advice, helping me navigate everything from friendships to high school applications. In your presence, I felt like a friend instead of a student, because that was just your comforting nature. Thank you for the moments with you in middle school that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Warm regards,

This essay’s greatest strength is the author’s use of vibrant, playful language, which helps readers vicariously feel Mrs. King’s enthusiasm and energy. For example, the “enthusiastic shouts bouncing off walls” and feeling “like a friend instead of a student, because that was just your comforting nature” drop us right into Mrs. King’s classroom, and allow us to vicariously understand why this student respects her so much.

This essay’s biggest issue is that most of the writer’s points are very generic, and could have been written by anyone, about any teacher. The point of this prompt is to highlight certain aspects of your personality by describing values you have learned from someone else, but the details we get about Mrs. King are very surface-level, like the sound of her voice, smile, and love for writing. As a result, we don’t learn much about either the teacher’s personality or how she has impacted the writer.

The author should instead include stories that show us specific values and lessons they have learned from this teacher. For example, the line “As a rigorous teacher and thinker, your lessons impacted me in and out of the classroom,” could be about nearly anything. To make this line more informative, the writer needs to get much more specific about what their point is, along the lines of:

“When you took us on a field trip to see a production of Hamlet which had recast Ophelia as a man, you challenged me to reconsider how societal standards, which I like to think I’m able to transcend, unavoidably impact my interpretation of literature.”

This version both identifies a particular aspect of the writer’s personality (their ability to push back on preconceived ideas) and something specific Mrs. King did to help them develop that aspect. As a result, admissions officers now get what they really care about: information about who this student is, and how they would fit in at their school.

Where to Get Feedback on Your Essay

Want feedback on your UPenn “Thank You” essay before you submit? That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Gratitude — Things I Am Thankful For in My Life

The Things I Am Grateful for in My Life

• Categories: Gratitude Personal Beliefs Thank You

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Published: Apr 8, 2022

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A Letter to the Teacher Who Saved My Life

Dear Mr. Klune,

In 1997, you saved my life.

Not just once or twice.

You saved my life every-damn-day that I walked through the doorway into your classroom.

I was a broken 12-year-old, beaten to crap by life and left excoriated.

You and the four walls of your classroom were my haven.

I got to get up and leave my house in the morning. For the time that I was with you – I was safe.

I cannot truly explain what that meant to me; what it still means to me.

You taught me that my ideas and skills were precious commodities.

You preached respect and the power of critical thinking and nuanced dissent.

You opened up my world to authors and artists.

You encouraged me to write even when I felt like it was all crap.

(In all fairness, my writing from that time was atrocious. Thank you for listening and reading and coaching me through.)

Parent-teacher conferences that year were a hot mess. My mom and dad started yelling at each other over trivial bits that I honestly don’t remember. I started to have a panic attack. You snagged my elbow and guided me into the hallway. You looked me in the face and told me some of the greatest truths of my life: “You are not the sum of your parents or their choices. You get to forge your own way.” You then marched back into the classroom and told them to calm the heck down.

What may have been just another lesson plan to you was the making of a lifetime — my lifetime.

Thank you for seeing me both as I was and who I could be.

I tried to find you to send this note to you personally, but I was unsuccessful.

So, Mr. Mark Klune, hopefully one day you will Google yourself, and find this tiny note from me.

From the 12 year old, the grown woman, and her children.

The work that you do/did matters.

You matter. J. Billington Gray

Jerusha Gray is insatiably curious. This curiosity, coupled with a brain that never shuts up, drives her to paint and draw, read prodigiously, make music, write, and sing in grocery stores.

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oh my gosh yes! Jan Dixon was my Mark Klune. thanks for writing the letter i’ve been thinking for more than 40 years!

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Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life: How to, Templates & Examples

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We all know the importance of saying thanks and extending gratitude in our professional lives. May it be our interviewer or our doctor, we tend to say thanks to them. However, what we usually miss is extending our warm gratitude to people with whom we connect personally. It includes people who have impacted our life positively. Different people can impact our lives at different times. They can be our mentor, teacher, professor, boss, friend, colleague or anyone else too. They deserve to be thanked and appreciated for the impact they leave on your life.

Expressing appreciation makes the receiver as well as the giver feel good. Showing gratitude has psychological, emotional as well as physical perks. It helps in lowering the blood pressure, makes one more optimistic and less lonely. It also helps us in clearing our mind and striking a mental balance. Thus, one should go ahead and find opportunities to say ‘thank you’. You can think of the people who have helped you in moments of trouble and whose words led to a positive change in your life.

Gratitude does not necessarily have to be shown verbally. You can also show your gratitude towards others through other mediums. You may choose to write a letter to them and send some tokens of appreciation. This is the best and most memorable way of thanking someone. To lend you a helping hand in writing this thank you letter, we have prepared a guide. We will cover all the relevant aspects about a thank you letter to someone who has impacted your life. Starting from the description of this letter, to when it is needed and how to write it, we will cover everything in detail.

What is a Thank You Letter to Someone Who has Impacted Your Life?

A thank you letter to someone who has impacted your life is a gratitude note written with the purpose of showing appreciation towards the receiver. It is a letter through which you can express your true heartfelt feelings towards the receiver. You can let them know how much they mean to you and in what ways they have impacted your life. This is the most important aspect of this letter. It is important for you to talk about how someone has motivated you to do better and in what ways it has proved beneficial for you.

Though technologies in the modern world have made it easier to type a letter and take a print out of it, the essence of a traditional handwritten letter is unmatched. For a personal letter like this one, it is suggested that you handwrite the letter and hand it over to the receiver yourself. This practice will help make it feel more personal and warm. Additionally, you can also accompany your letter with some small gifts. This simple token of appreciation would be cherished by the receiver in the long run.

When is a Thank you Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life Needed?

This thank you note can be written to varied people at varied occasions. You can write it whenever you want to express gratitude towards your loved ones. If you are wondering when to write it then refer to the following situations to get an idea.

• You can write this letter to your best friend to thank them for motivating you to take a job that has changed your life.
• This letter can be written to parents to thank them for any teaching that ahs positively impacted your life.
• You can also write this letter to your boss to thank them for offering you the right training and teaching you the right approach to deal with situations.
• Teachers are indeed a great motivator in our life as they help shape our life. So you can thank your teacher by writing this letter to them.
• You can also thank your partner for impacting your life by giving this letter to him or her.
• Lastly, this letter can be written to mentors who are known to leave positive impacts on the lives of their mentees..

Tips for Writing an Effective Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life

In this column, we will talk about some effective tips and methods of writing a meaningful thank you for impacting my life letter to someone. Let us start with it!

• This letter can be a formal or an informal letter depending on whom you are writing it to. To be clear, letters written to teacher, boss etc. would be formal while those written to friends and family would be informal. The format of both the letters are provided below.

Informal Letter:

Sender’s Full Name

Your address

Address of the Receiver

Dear _____ (Name of the Recipient),

(Content of the Letter)

_____ (Sender’s Name)

Formal Letter:

Address of the Sender

Email Address of the Sender

Name of Receiver

Subject: Thanks You for Impacting my Life

Dear ______ (Name of the Recipient)

(Signature)

• Don’t forget to write a catchy subject line in the formal letter as it would help grab attention of the receiver.
• Next, you need to be mindful about the salutation you use in this letter. You should use a respectful salutation for the receiver.
• Coming to the body of the letter, there is no better way of starting a thank you letter than by saying ‘thank you’.
• Mention the reasons for which you think that they are important for you and the impacts they left on your life have been crucial for you.
• Make the letter more meaningful by describing how much your life has changed because of their impressions.
• If you are accompanying your letter with any gift, then mention that too.
• Let them know that you are grateful for their help and presence in your life through your words.
• Use positive and grateful words in your letter.
• The key to writing a meaningful letter is by keeping it short and simple. Do not use too much flattery language in your letter.
• Sign off the letter and close it with a respectful closing line.
• And you are done! Hand it over to the recipient.

Sample Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life

This is the most important section in this blog as we have included a few templates of this letter here. You can use any of these templates as it is it by making required changes to them. These templates can be easily downloaded too.

Template 1- Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life

I hope you are doing well. I still remember the day I joined the office and you told me that this will be a turning point in my life. Since that day, you have guided me on every step and helped me achieve the goals. I am grateful to you for the training you have given me. You have taught me to look at the challenges differently and the approach of solving a single problem in different ways. I follow your teachings in my everyday life and believe that you have left a great impact in my life.

You have a noticeable contribution towards making my life better and helping me reach the place that I am at. I owe my success to you. As I have decided to leave the company and will be moving towards the next stepping stone of my life, I want to express my sincere thanks to you. I will remember all the things you have taught me and follow your guidance throughout my life. Thank you for being an influential figure in my life.

Template 2- Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life

I am writing this letter to thank you for influencing me to apply for universities abroad. I was skeptical of doing so but on your insistence I did it. I have finally got selected for my dream course at the _____ University. If you would not have insisted that I apply, I would have never had the courage to do that. Thank you for believing in me and convincing me to take the risk. I am grateful to you for always thinking about the best for me.

You have had positive impacts in my life since when I was a child and have helped me make important decisions. I am thankful to have a great mentor like you. I am also sending a small token of appreciation for you. I Hope you like it.

Template 3- Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life

Throughout the past 7 years of our friendship, one thing that has remained constant is your support for me. You have been there for me through thick and thin. I am grateful to you for the impact you made in my life. You have helped me work hard and contributed to my growth at every step of my life.

You were by my side when I cleared high school to when I got my first job and now when I bought my first car. You have taught me the importance of persistence and have shown me how crucial it is to validate our feelings. I am glad you are a part of my life and we became friends. Thank you for impacting my life and teaching me the most important values of life. Hoping to see you soon!

Template 4- Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life

I cannot express how grateful I am for your presence in my life. Thank you so much for being my greatest friend and partner and impacting my life positively. I would not have been the same person that I am today if I never met you. Being with you has taught me that the greatest pleasures of life are not material but spiritual. You have been there with me at every point of my life and have helped me stand strong through the troubles.

I believe there was a reason that I met you. You have taught me the greatest things. It is because of you that I can let myself loose and allow myself to feel things. Thank you for having such a huge impact in my life and being the best partner. Love you!

Template 5- Thank You Letter to Someone Who Has Impacted Your Life

With this letter, I want to thank you for teaching me great values and having an impact in my life. You are the best parents anyone can ever get. I am blessed to be your child. You have taught me how to face problems that life throws at us. When I was struggling to get a job, you told me the importance of patience and I finally bagged a job at my dream company.

Your generous contribution to my life cannot be ignored. I am thankful to you for raising me to be a respectful human and give my best to everything I ever do. I will be grateful to you for all the lessons you have taught me. Thank you for impacting my life. Love you so much!

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© 2023 Mail To Self

FEAST30Days

Dear Mom and Dad, Thank you for saving my life

published by permission of the author, Kinsey Ouellette

To my parents and all the parents of children with eating disorders:

Dear Mom and Dad, Thank you for saving my life. Thank you for never giving up. Thank you for loving me enough to allow me to hate you. Thank you for fighting my battle when I couldn’t or just didn’t want to. Thank you for choosing recovery for me before I could chose it for myself.

It is so important to remember that your sick child is not your child. When I was sick, I was not me. Anorexia turned me into a lifeless, vacant, unpleasant, and unloving version of myself. It must be the scariest thing for a parent to look at their child but not actually see them; to just see them disappearing more and more each day, both mind and body. It’s crazy to hear people talk about the way they saw me slowly coming back to life through my weight restoration journey. They tell me how they could see it in my eyes, how they once appeared soulless and empty, but were finally full of the life and personality they always loved again. Keep fighting so you too can experience this with your child.

I always say that my parents have probably put in just as much work for my recovery as I have, especially at the beginning. Recovery is one of the hardest things a person can do, and just simply choosing recovery is even harder. This is why family based treatment and parent involvement is so crucial in a successful recovery. Just as my parents did, you have to want their recovery before they can want it for themselves, you have to choose their recovery for them before they can choose it for themselves, and you have to be their motivation before they find their own. Recovery is not a simple, linear, or easy journey but it is worth it.

Sincerely, Kinsey Ouellette

24 Comments

Kinsey…I just want to say thank you. For sharing your truth, for the best ever recovery cake photo shoot and for holding the light so high millions of kiddos can follow the path you have set out on. Thank you for your recovery and much love from this mama bear. You are amazing! 😘

thank you for your well written reflection. you’ve inspired me and given me hope. i am in the darkness and destructive infancy of this journey with my AN daughter.

keep eating. keep living. keep healing.

As a mom that lived with the demon that possessed my teen daughter, I can attest that my recovered/in remission daughter is in full agreement with your letter and could have written this herself. For parents in the midst of it, Ms. Ouellette is correct in that at the very worst of times, you are actually doing the best to slay the demons. It is horrible and terrible, and I am so blessed to have a healthy, happy and appreciative daughter now.

My son is in his 4th week at home after being in hospital for 2.5 weeks. Initially the routine was the same, but as time is going on the snacks are reducing and not always finishing puddings is starting. Fatigue is setting in between my husband and myself, reading your story of recovery gives me hope of some normality that may resume as my son gets stronger.

Hi Nanette! I hope your son is doing better by now. Our son of 21 is deeply affected by an ED. From what we know, boys have a different struggle than girls and often hard to comprehend. I would be grateful if you could share some tips and how to deal with this … xxx

Thank you. You have no idea how much this gives me courage and hope in our darkest hours.

Thank you for this just what I needed to hear.

THANK YOU for giving me some sort of an insight to how my D may have been feeling during her battle with this awful illness xx🌸🌸🌸🌹

Thank you for writing this! We just admitted my D yesterday and I needed to read this more than ever today!! Blessings to you and your family ❤️

Thank you so much for sharing this, it gives me reassurance and hope that I can stay strong for my son and not fear that my doing this will damage our bond forever. It is a huge comfort to hear from someone who has experienced anorexia first hand, that the words of hate that frequently come from the mouth of my kind and loving child are the eating disorder speaking and not him at all. It hurts less when I know this and helps me stay strong. Thank you. I’m so glad you are well now, and I really appreciate yours and your mum’s efforts to help others of us who are still in this nightmare…a reminder of light at the end of the very dark tunnel

I feel as though my 26 year old daughter has an issue with food. It started when she was planning her wedding and working for a devil wears Prada boss. She began by throwing up daily due to stress. She has gone from 140 or so down to 110 if that. She is 5 6. At one point she stopped talking to us for 6 mos after giving her a beautiful wedding. She is now talking… but she hasn’t been home in almost a year. Her husband says she’s working through things…. but she stays away from eating get togethers. I have to think she has an eating problem. Her husband told me if I want a relationship with her I shouldn’t bring up food or weight. I wish I could help. It saddens me so any suggestions?

Dear Melanie,

I’m sending you a hug, and a strong suggestion that you get involved with our community. It sounds like you are describing an eating disorder, and if so that is a treatable brain problem. But since people with EDs, and often the people around them, often don’t understand this is a treatable problem it can go on for a long time and cause horrible damage, even death. Once recognized and being treated, family can be very important and helpful in supporting the person to full recovery. Don’t wait until your daughter understands, or her husband understands. You can do the research and learn about eating disorders on your own and then you and your husband can make a decision on how to try to help. Check out http://www.aroundthedinnertable.org for countless families who will tell similar stories to your own!

Thank you for this. We are starting this journey and my daughter is angry and directs it at her dad and I. This reminds me it will get better and we are not giving up.

Thank you so much. The disease of addiction in all forms is extremely destructive .my parents saved my life and now I can only help others since they are gone. We are all precious children of god no matter how far down our addictions have taken us.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. We are at the beginning of this journey my daughter is presently in an inpatient hospital soon to be transferred to a residential placement. You have given me hope! It is excruciating to see her not seeing the need to recover and not wanting to gain weight. You have helped me see she can still get better even if she doesn’t have this motivation for herself yet. Thank you for giving me HOPE!

I can’t tell you what inspiration this gives me. I am at the beginning of this journey. I was severely anorexic for three years in my teens and now my 15-year-old daughter is in the midst of it and I feel helpless. I have renewed strength reading this. God bless you!

I am the mother of an adult daughter who is very ill and at present is hospitalized. Like you said, she is not the same person and is not allowing me to become active in her treatment. She is married with 3 small children. I can no longer just watch while she destroys herself

Thank you for sharing this. ED is a a tricky demon, and it preys on parents too. I look for what I want to see, and it is hard to be strong when I know the result will be anger and sadness. I have to put my daughter in a higher level of care soon, and your story gives me courage to do that.

All i hear is about girls and daughters and girls and daughters and nothing about very very smart young teen boys ? why its always about girls and nothing about boys ?

Hi Tahira–there are plenty of parents on our forums who have sons and we have resources on our website for parents of boys–just put “boys” in the search feature on http://www.feast-ed.org and they will pop up. Also, many of our resources are from parents. Please feel free write something for us to feature on our website about your experience as the mother of a teen boy so we can build up our resources!

Hi Thank you for giving us strength it means the world to us. Do you think if you would talk to a teenager directly it would be motivating for them?

Kinsey, Thank you for your post. My little sister is 18, in remission/recovery as I write this, and I’ve been so angry and upset with her circumstances—our whole family’s circumstances—for so long. My mom sent me your post to read. The idea of “my sister” being separate from “the disease,” “the monster,” “the illness” has been really hard for me to understand. I’m not as closely looped in or in tune with my sister as my parents are. Not at all. Reading your post makes me feel like we aren’t alone, like my parents understand, like “the monster” is legitimate; you are reminding me that my sister never hated me. It’s brutal, but it’s truth. Thank you. I hope you are well as can be.

Myself and husband just joined the group. It has been an eye opening experience to hear that we all share similar stories. I agree with the writer of letter that these kids/ adults become in recognizable in their fight with eating disorder. Relieved to belong to a helpful group chat!!

My daughter has really taken a turn for the worse. She has several mental health issues, but what we fear the most is her almost autism spectrum diagnosis. Very, very close, and frankly I think the psychologists made an error.

Regardless, it is her extreme rigidity that makes her seem impossible to engage. She so firmly believes that there are no treatments and that her brain is beyond help now. When she was younger we did take her to a psychologist and other helping professionals but she was essentially impossible to engage.

That is our huge challenge. She is now 19 and an adult so we can’t force things on her, and frankly with her extreme rigidity I believe that while often required, had we tried to force anything on her it would have made her completely shut down and shut us out. I’m not saying that I know this as a fact, but my deepest fear is that she truly is untreatable. I really, really hope and pray that I’m wrong, but I have always had an amazing relationship with her through everything, and if I can’t connect right now I cannot possibly imagine how anyone could.

I have also worked in a secure mental health hospital setting and I am sorry to say that it is not at all a guarantee that all the staff should actually be working in those settings. I have seen so many unskilled professionals who are convinced that they are being appropriately tough but in reality they seem to actually not know how to be empathetic and effective, so the client gets blamed and the program doubles down on being tough. From that point the client is always seen as the problem.

So that is also a strong fear. Even getting your loved one into a program does not at all guarantee the staff involved will all have the therapeutic skills to connect with and engage clients to develop a therapeutic rapport. That is a huge concern for us as in the past when my very rigid and difficult daughter fails to engage, some frankly I un-empathetic professionals were just hamfisted and made things worse.

I recognize that some firmness is often required but I have seen firsthand when that is simply a mask for mental health professionals who lack essential skills and adequate empathy. They get the education, can keep a job, but the scrutiny for results is always directed towards the client so they are never really held accountable and the clients are blamed and suffer the consequences.

We don’t know where to turn truthfully.

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Relationship / Family – The Most Precious Thing In My Life

Family - The Most Precious Thing In My Life

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