Wrestling has done so very much for me but the one stand out quality I received from wrestling would have to be mental toughness. I have suffered through 8 back surgeries by the time I was 45 years old (I'm 46 now). My latest condition happened when I fell at work in 2005. For much of the time from Dec 2005 until Sept 2011 I spent most of my time on the couch or in bed. I gained over 80 pounds. I lost my hearing in my right ear during a back surgery in 2006 and I now have extreme tinnitus in that ear. In August of 2010 I was having chest pains. I went to an emergency care center and they hooked me up to an EKG machine. Shortly after that they placed me on oxygen and rushed me to their main hospital. The ER Dr. was afraid I would have a massive heart attack. My heart began to deteriorate due to lack of exercise and my enzymes were elevated. Since the heart is a muscle, it needs to be worked like a muscle. There were many days I did not think I would be able to carry on but I kept thinking back on my wrestling days at Marist High School and Eastern Illinois University. This would keep my frame of mind positive and I would often remember how hard I practiced and trained and this really got me over the toughest of times.
I was never the best wrestler but like I tell my kids, the life lessons learned from wrestling are the same if you are an Olympic Gold medalist or a high school practice room partner. I now have lost all the weight I had gained and although I battle with chronic back and right leg pain, my quality of life has gotten much better.
In fact, I now started an all girl wrestling program in Illinois and hope to continue to build girl/female wrestling in Illinois and across the country.
Thank you for allowing me to tell my story.
Best regards,
Mike Houston Sr.
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