None — You may not remember Marc Mero as the former professional wrestling champion. But after admitting to drug and steroid use, and losing nearly everyone close to him, Marc Mero has transformed himself into the self proclaimed happiest man in the world.
But this isn't a story about Marc Mero as much as it's a story about thousands of other central Florida students who have heard Mero's message.
Hitting over 200 schools with his program Champion of Choices, Mero has laid out his life story, holding nothing back about his drug use and tragedies. In return, he receives hundreds of letters every week from students who say he has helped change their lives.
"I was going through bad times," says Brandon Rivadeneira, a junior at Hagerty High School. "I was trying to make myself better but i was starting to lose sight of what I was trying to accomplish. But then Mark's presentation brought me back to what I wanted to do. I'm confident there's a lot of people like that who could really benefit."
While students like Brandon are flooded with anti-drug campaigns every day, Mero's presentation seems to connect in a way other programs never could.
"You don't have to be going through things to connect with his message," says Heather Barnes, a junior at Lyman High School.
"I find it amazing that that he can be so honest," adds Rivadeneira.
"I've lost 32 friends to drugs, suicide and murder," says Mero. "And I've lost my own family. By my losses kids can understand how important it is to make the right choices."
Maybe it's the honesty. Maybe it's the sight of a grown man crying on stage. Maybe it's the list of those 32 friends he's lost, the "Death List" Mero calls it, hanging on the back of his office door. Or maybe the kids respond to a stranger on stage who simply believes in his message as much as he believes in them.
WFTV
