An Open Letter to John Cena

(This was written as a letter that I had planned on mailing but I decided to post it as an open letter and the very first blog entry of my mental health/opinion piece blog.)

Dear John,

Never in a million years did I think that I would write a letter to you (in blog form and an open one no less) but here I am. For the longest time, I never completely understood what gravitated people toward you. I never really understood what people saw in you and why they cheered you whenever you won a match. But after watching a video of you with some of your fans who were inspired by you, I realized why they love you is because you inspired them to never give up. A message that I used to follow and strayed from somewhere down the line.

You see, I had a very rough childhood and teen years due to abuse in my early childhood (by my biological parents) bullying, parental separation/divorce (my adoptive parents) and by the time I was seventeen, I was on my own after running away from home then lived with an abusive family member at nineteen until I was twenty-four. I became an alcoholic at nineteen as the result of the abuse and to escape the pain of it all. I was able to quit drinking and escape my abuser. I relapsed four times before finally kicking it for good in 2011. I celebrate 11 years of sobriety in August 2022.

I also began my mental health journey in 2012 when I was months away from celebrating a year of sobriety. My mantra was the same message you had been giving to your fans which was “Never Give Up”. It was a mantra that I kept living by in the years since I started my mental health journey until 2018 which was the beginning of the decline of my mental health after my hip osteoarthritis diagnosis and I had begun to lose my way and any hope I had that my life would get better, that I could change it for the better. It got to the point where I began thinking of ways to end my life because I couldn’t take the pain (physical and mental) anymore and my physical health has begun to decline and at the point where I don't make changes to my lifestyle and eating habits, I’ll die young (I was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes in December 2021). I didn’t know what I could do to change or to raise my spirits enough to want to change.

Then you and my best friend/brother happened. What do I mean by that? Well, back in the beginning of February, I had a video conversation with my best friend/brother which turned into a pep talk/motivational speech. He was always my biggest supporter and always knew what to say to light a fire in my soul and fighting spirit. He also started to remind me of the one thing that I used to do and lost the ability to do somewhere along the way. Count my blessings. I used to focus on the things I have and not the things that I don’t but through the years, I lost my ability to look at the good things I had and not at the things I don’t. But if my best friend/brother was the one who lit the fire in my soul and fighting spirit, it was you who set it ablaze and kept it lit.

I had found a video on YouTube of you being surprised by some of your fans who had been inspired by your message “Never Give Up”. I’m not going to lie, I cried watching it. For the first time, I began to see why people love you and how you inspired them to fight against adversity. As someone who has fought against adversity their entire life, I could understand why those fans thought of you as their hero. You were their light to the darkness in their lives and their real-life superhero. I also discovered your show “Peacemaker” and it made me laugh and cry (something I didn’t expect to happen once I started watching the show). It was the first superhero show since “Smallville” that I have thoroughly enjoyed and wanted more of. I was overjoyed to have learned that there is going to be a second season and I eagerly wait for it.

Then February 23, 2022 happened. The day that my respect and admiration for you grew and after I made a declaration on Twitter that I was going to change my life for the better. I’m not going to lie, looking at the notification from Twitter that you were following me, I thought that it was a fake account following me at first but once I realized that it was really you, I was left in shock and in awe. Then I felt truly honored to be followed on Twitter by someone like you.

There is nothing special about me. I’m just a woman who is only just trying to inspire others to get help for their own mental health issues by being open about my own struggles with mental illness and chronic pain/disease. But I know that there was something about my tweets that you liked that got you to follow me so all I can say is thanks and that it’s an honor to be followed by someone like you.

But for reminding me of the inner strength that I forgot I had inside of myself and of what “Never Give Up” really means, I want to say thank you. Thank you so much. If I had to add one more thing on my bucket list, it’s to be able to meet you, hug you and thank you for everything you have done for me and your fans and for also making a fan and a believer out of me. I wish you all of the success in the world in everything you do. God bless and thank you so much for everything.

Peace always and God bless,

Rachel (@RaeAngel07 on Twitter)