In last week's article, I reported on the perils and negative affects of drug overuse and abuse (not general use) in this industry that we have such adoration for. My plea was primarily to those in the hierarchy of federations both big and small. In my attempt to curtail problems from a higher perspective, I overlooked the most obvious people that I may have been reaching - the potential users and abusers themselves.

Justin Norris made me alarmingly aware of this fact. In reading his e-mail, I became utterly fascinated with his story. While he is not a professional wrestler, he has previously been involved in bodybuilding competition. His life story is one that I found myself researching and learning more and more about over the past week.

After reading his initial e-mail, I inquired about a few other points for clarification. Over the span of a few short days, I was in awe of this young man's tenacity and perseverance in overcoming a hindering obstacle in his life, whereas most would simply have fallen back upon it, using it as an excuse to live a life of complacency.

That being said, I offer you Justin's story as told by him.

"I really have enjoyed your column, especially the past two weeks. Last week you wrote about Foley, someone I admire greatly; this week you touched on something a little closer to home for me.

It started when I was a baby. Weird, eh? I was born with a benign form of muscular dystrophy called Benign Congenital Hypotonia. It left me with no muscle tone whatsoever. Unknowingly, this disease really shaped my life, mainly because I had to really work hard to just be able to play with the other kids. I was a very large kid, but my lack of muscle tone (I had mass but NO strength) really made me uncoordinated. As a kid, I dreamed every day of getting just old enough to pick up some weights and improve myself.

As a baby, my doctors prescribed an exercise routine for me to follow but they never even suggested steroids. My parents would have to do the exercises for me since I was just a baby. Actually, I never even knew I had the "disease" until I saw some baby movies in college! I saw my dad making me do baby sit-ups and wondered, "What in the HELL is dad doing to me?!?!" My mom then explained a few things. Hypotonia is a benign form of Muscular Dystrophy. It is not debilitating, but did leave me well behind the other kids as far as physical strength/skill went. Eventually, I grew stronger, but not as fast as normal babies. With the exception of being weak, I was a normal kid. They didn't really notice my weakness because I was so quiet and because I was so damn big.

I never dwelled on my weakness and I just never gave up! That's so cliche but in my case it is true. I was unaware that I even had this disease until college so I didn't know any better but to simply forge ahead. My mother could tell you stories of me learning to ride a bike with "Foley" like abandon. I was rather uncoordinated and on a bike, that can be a painful experience. I didn't know at the time but I would always bring tears to my mother's eyes because of how injured I would get constantly falling down and of course, always getting up for more. I was determined and I did finally learn to ride that damn bike!

Time progressed and I started to work out in the 9th grade. What prompted me to begin bodybuilding? Two words. Arnold Schwartzenegger. The moment I laid eyes on him, I knew that's what I wanted to be.

By the end of my senior year in high school, I began making a schedule of when I would compete in my first bodybuilding competition. In 1995, I competed for the first time and perhaps the last. I'm pleased to report that I won third place, however I was probably the only one not taking steroids. It was kind of disappointing. The fact that I would have to take steroids or growth hormones just to be able to compete at a higher level did not sit well with me and still doesn't, but I wouldn't give up nor would I give in to it.

Unfortunately, I was sidelined for approximately 2 years in my workout regimen. Throughout college, I would try to work out but could not do it effectively. I had a job (30+ hrs.), an internship, a girlfriend, and was taking 16 tough-as-hell semester hours in college. I was getting about 3-4 hours of sleep per night and that lead to a pronounced case of Mononucleosis. It was debilitating. I lost all of the muscle mass I gained in the past and for over a year after the virus had dissipated, my liver, spleen and stomach had to recover, which left me totally drained.

March 1997 rolled around and I moved to Hampton, Virginia to work at Gateway 2000. At that point, I was just trying to settle in and, I'm ashamed to say, got pretty damn lazy. Now, I am 25 years old, working out again and I couldn't be happier.

I wanted you to know one thing above all else. Your column really did make a difference in my future. I was faced with the decision of taking steroids and doing well in the short run in my shows or not take them and live a long, fruitful life. It was a hard decision but your one little column really kept me on the right path - no joking! I'll be continuing my hard work to reach the goals I've set -- no steroids for me. Don't underestimate the effect of your work on your readers. You can keep making a difference - even writing about rasslin'.

Justin David Norris
JDNorris@mindspring.com"

Justin inspired me to delve into some additional research regarding Benign Congenital Hypotonia. I obtained a report on this disease from the National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. (NORD, Inc.) which further educated me about Justin's condition.

Babies affected by Benign Congenital Hypotonia show signs of weakness of the skeletal muscles. The babies look "floppy" and weak. In some cases the symptoms may improve with maturity of the central nervous system. In others, hypotonia may persist into adulthood.

The cause of Benign Congenital Hypotonia is generally not known. It is an inborn disorder. Hypotonia can be a symptom caused by another disorder, as well as a condition without apparent cause. It has been postulated that this condition may involve various patterns of fiber-type disproportion in muscles. In many cases, the symptoms of another disorder may appear later in the child's life.

To have reached even one person and knowing that what I've written had a positive effect on their decision not to utilize steroids makes all my sleepless nights, lack of spare time, hard work and dedication worthwhile. He could have taken the easy way out and opted to imbibe in steroid use to reach the dreams and aspirations he so desperately wanted to attain. Instead, he chose the path less traveled and decided to truly put his heart and soul into reaching the goals he set for himself.

I also know of a wrestler on the independent circuit today who is afflicted with a slight disability. However, seeing him wrestle and take incredible chances which result in the most spectacular executions, you would never believe that he is disabled in any way.

I first met Mike Olechewski (aka: Diablos Macabre) in 1995 at a training school in Reading, PA. I found him to be charming, highly intelligent, quick-witted, very talented and a damn hard worker. How good is this kid? Incredible! Once he even jobbed to a tackle dummy ... and made the tackle dummy look like it was a ring veteran. His demeanor, perseverance and dedication reminded me greatly of a young Mick Foley. He even adopted a Mankind-esque persona with his Diablos Macabre gimmick, which he exhibits with perfection. I noticed, however, on more than one occasion that his right hand is rarely, if ever, used in a match. I inquired about this after a training session one evening and was stunned to hear his response.

He lives with a slight form of multiple sclerosis, which renders his right hand inoperable. There are other symptoms that he occasionally suffers from but to the unsuspecting eye, you would have no idea that he has any type of disability whatsoever. He shows the same heart, determination, dedication and love for this industry that so many others do but I feel that it's present even moreso in him because he has had to overcome an additional hindrance to reach his dreams of becoming a professional wrestler.

These are the stories I love to hear about. It renews my faith in people to learn of those who overcome seemingly impossible adversities with a great heart and determination in order to achieve the goals and dreams they so desperately aspire to reach. Additionally, it touches me greatly to know that my writing does reach out and touch the readers. More important than knowing McMahon, Bischoff or any of the other big players in the industry read my weekly column, my pride lies in the knowledge that anything I've written may have changed someone's outlook on life or their career for the better. I am honored to be the source of anyone's inspiration.

To Justin, I simply wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your story with me. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your future endeavors. I'm confident that you *will* compete again and with the heart of gold and rock-hard determination that you possess, I have absolutely no doubt that you'll receive nothing less than the highest honors bestowed upon you. You deserve them …. and so much more.