Dear Isaac Slade and his band The Fray,

I've watched you guys make great music over the years and I deeply appreciate all of the music you make. I first heard you guys when your song "How To Save A Life" became popular, but I didn't fall in love with your music until high school, when I could understand it on a much deeper level.

In high school and even now I struggled with depression and I loved "How To Save A Life", so I decided to do a little searching and I discovered the album the song was on, along with some other albums I didn't know you had. When I was deepest in my depression I played your songs on replay constantly. I remember riding the school bus listening to your music to give me motivation to get through the day. Some days your music was the only thing that got me through the day. Without it I don't know what I would've done. Your music gave a voice to the thoughts in my head I didn't have the strength to say. Songs like Enough For Now, Heaven Forbid, and Never Say Never gave me the opportunity to say how I really felt. These songs especially, meant so much to me because they gave me permission to feel hurt, and they made me feel like I didn't deserve the pain I was feeling. Before discovering your music I thought I somehow deserved feeling so depressed. I thought I wasn't worth the life I had, but you guys changed that, and I truly want to thank you for that.

I was lucky enough to see you in concert in Chicago when you went on tour for your Helios album. Up until that time that was the best day of my life. I felt so many emotions at the concert. I felt sad because your music reminded me of my past, but I also felt happy because I got through everything I didn't think I'd make it through. A month before your concert I graduated high school and honestly, I didn't think that was going to happen, so I was blessed that I made it to that point in my life and I was able to see the band that made that possible perform live. I still have the video from the concert when you sang You Found Me and even over your instruments and singing you can hear me and my best friend screaming the lyrics. I cried, but they were happy tears, and I had a giant grin across my face. In that moment I was so happy to be alive.

With your Through The Years album out I've been thinking a lot about you guys and how honestly I haven't listened to your music in a long time. It's not that I don't like it. It's just that there are so many emotions and experiences attached to them and I don't know if I can handle them right now. I still listen to a song of yours occasionally when it comes up on my playlist, but I have a hard time intentionally listening to your music. I actually listened to a few of your songs to prepare to write this and it brought back so many memories. I'm sure you guys get so many letters like this all of the time, but I hope you know you saved my life.

Sincerely, Elizabeth