Tyler and John’s Story:
When Tyler first moved to Lynden in middle school, he was struggling with a number of things: losing friends, depression, and a dad who wasn’t around. When he first met John, it took a long time to develop trust. In fact, for the first year they mostly played Uno, and Tyler barely said a word. There were times when John wasn’t even sure if Tyler actually liked him or wanted to spend time with him, but he kept coming back anyway. Three years later, they have a close and meaningful relationship, and Tyler can’t say enough good things about having John in his life. Sometimes they still play Uno, but more often just talk and share DQ blizzards. Tyler enjoys creative writing, and John enjoys hearing his scripts. Tyler says, “I have buddies, but John is so much better. He is helping me become the man I want to be, where my past and my illness doesn’t define me.”