Like Boston and a number of other cities, Toledo, Ohio, has its tougher and more challenging neighborhoods. Tom Seeman grew up in a family of fourteen in a predominantly black housing project in one of those neighborhoods.

Like so many, Seeman was consigned to a childhood of poverty, dysfunction, and constant turmoil by birth.  The price he paid for being brought into this world was high at times. There were constant challenges and emotional and physical pain both inside his rundown home in the projects as well as waiting for him the minute he crossed the threshold of that home onto the tough and turbulent streets.

But, unlike so many in those neighborhoods and on those streets, Seeman had an inner vision, the intellectual gifts, and the determination to propel himself out of that project, away from the neighborhood, and into a world of success many dream of but few achieve.  A world of earned success which landed him at Yale University; Harvard Law School; McKinsey & Company; and finally corporate boardrooms as a CEO.

But to get to such lofty platforms from the lowest of the lows, one usually needs an epiphany which clears and decompresses the mind just long enough to see an invaluable truth which had always been right before you.  For Seeman, that moment came in the fourth grade.

It was there and then that Seeman made a shocking — but liberating — announcement. When his teacher asked his class to name the greatest thing each of their parents had given them, he stood and said: “The greatest thing my mother has given me is that she’s always there to help me. And the greatest thing my father has given me is an example of what I don’t want to be.”

Simply by vocalizing what had long been locked inside his mind, a tremendous weight had been lifted from Seeman’s shoulders. Replaced by a lightness in mind and spirit that allowed him to focus on escaping the life he was born into.

In a number of ways, Seeman’s escape was the Boston areas gain.

After achieving his goals for success as an adult, Seeman made an inspiring pledge to himself: “Every day, do something kind for a stranger.”  He has fulfilled that pledge and then some.

“Every act of kindness, no matter how small, makes a difference,” said Seeman.  “Some days it’s something small, like letting someone into my lane in traffic, and some days it’s something sizable, like creating a scholarship for underserved kids… Most days, my promise falls somewhere in between.”

One of those “sizable” acts of kindness saw Seeman and his wife Jenny donate one million dollars to the St. Francis de Sales School in Toledo, Ohio for the benefit of economically disadvantaged children.   A school Seeman credits with helping to land him firmly on the path to success, when, as himself an impoverished eighth grader, the school administrator offered him a near full scholarship.

Years after his escape from that tough Toledo neighborhood, Seeman settled in the greater Boston area with his wife Jenny to raise a family.  After doing so, his passion to give back only grew.  Today – among other things — Seeman currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston and on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts.

Years before coming to Massachusetts and while still at Yale, people began asking Seeman the same question: “How did you get out?”  It is a critically important question.

Statistics about such poor, tough and dysfunctional neighborhoods indicate that it is almost a certainty that one would not “get out.” That one would not choose wisely. That one would fall into a pattern of hooking school, substance abuse and crime.

Later in his life as more and more people learned of his “rags to riches” story, many suggested to Seeman that he tell his inspiring story via a book.  While honored and humbled by the encouragement, Seeman was quite hesitant to do so.  First, because to do so would entail ripping off scabs, reliving pain, and quite possibly hurting or embarrassing family members. And second, because the process can be overwhelming.

For those reasons and more, Seeman rejected the idea of a memoir detailing his challenging childhood.  But then those around him offered up the most important reason of all: “What if your story could not only reach someone going through what you endured — or much worse — but change a life for the better?”

That reasoning made great sense to Seeman.  It was yet another way to fulfill the pledge to himself: “Every day, do something kind for a stranger.”  Seeman came to believe that he could tell his story to further help the charities he so deeply cared about.

So Seeman sat down and wrote that story, titled “Animals I Want to See: A Memoir of Growing Up in the Projects and Defying the Odds.”  A book that is deeply moving, will inspire all who read it, and will create untold acts of kindness.

Douglas MacKinnon – originally from Dorchester — is a former White House and Pentagon official and an author.

BOSTON — The Bruins couldn’t keep their season alive as they suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals Friday night at TD Garden.

The Panthers took the series, 4-2, and advance for a second straight season to the conference finals, where they will meet the New York Rangers.

Check out full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins looked to do what the Panthers did to them a season ago.

But the Panthers prevented the Bruins for completing a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit.

It was the same old issues for the Bruins that hampered them in Game 6. Boston went long stretches without sustained offensive pressure and put too much of a workload on Jeremy Swayman, who was outstanding yet again with 26 saves, to carry them. The Bruins also struggled to clear the puck on numerous occasions, which allowed the Panthers to swing momentum in their direction in the second period by leveling the score.

Boston had several chances to extend their lead, too. David Pastrnak couldn’t finish off a breakaway bid. Charlie McAvoy had a tip go wide of the net. Justin Brazeau had a point-blank shot stopped.

The Bruins will look back on those opportunities as what could have been with their season over.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Gustav Forsling scored the game-winning goal with 1:33 left in the third period. He pounced on a rebound and found a small hole to net the timely tally.

— Pavel Zacha opened the scoring with a pretty finish on a breakaway with 52.8 seconds left in the first period. Jake DeBrusk delivered a terrific pass to set up Zacha, who beat Sergei Bobrovsky on his backhand for his first career playoff goal.

— Anton Lundell netted the equalizer with 7:16 left in the second period as the Panthers center was in the right place at the right time. Lundell collected a loose puck in the slot and fired a shot into the back of the net.

The Boston Celtics are a wagon.

They dominated the regular season, posting a 64-18 record to secure the NBA’s No. 1 seed. They steamrolled the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first two rounds of the Eastern Conference playoffs, winning each series in five games. They have the best roster in the league. They’re battle-tested, based on past postseason experience. And they’re healthy, outside of Kristaps Porzingis, who’s working back from a calf injury.

Yet, there’s a gigantic elephant in the room: Boston’s recent inability to get over the hump and win the NBA Finals, oftentimes despite being viewed as clear-cut contenders to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

The Celtics’ near-misses — which include a trip to the 2022 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games — perhaps explain why some folks are gun-shy about totally buying into this year’s Boston team.

The C’s are heavy favorites to win the championship, with just eight wins standing between them and a title, yet outside skepticism persists.

It makes no sense to ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst, who on Friday pointed to Boston when breaking down the “most surprising” aspect of the second round of the playoffs.

Windhorst’s assessment — part of a playoff roundtable published to ESPN.com — even included a stern warning at the end.

“The Celtics are 8-2 with seven double-digit wins this postseason. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are averaging a combined 60 points and 14 rebounds per game. Boston is ranked No. 2 in offense and No. 3 in defense in the playoffs despite missing star center Kristaps Porziņģis,” Windhorst wrote. “Yet, people are abandoning the Celtics as title contenders. Their postseason opponents (the Miami Heat and the Cavaliers) had injury issues, but the Celtics had little trouble against them. Ignore them at your own risk.”

If you don’t want to bet on the Celtics, fine. There’s virtually no value in backing Boston at this stage. As of Friday, the C’s were -850 to win the Eastern Conference and -155 to win the NBA Finals at FanDuel Sportsbook.

If you like the Celtics to win, you’re better off trying to pinpoint which Western Conference opponent they’ll take down en route to securing the hardware. Or you could tap into the NBA Finals MVP market, where Jayson Tatum is a +130 favorite and Jaylen Brown sits at +700.

But betting aside, it’s hard to find flaws in the Celtics’ game right now, especially in the context of the remaining teams. Boston should win the championship. Anything less would be a disappointment.

Any hesitancy clearly is rooted in the Celtics’ past playoff failures. And it also might be misguided this time around, as there’s mounting evidence that suggests Boston really is that much better than every other team.

Ignore them at your own risk — as Windhorst stated.