The Sara Bellum Blog

Let me introduce you to Taylor-a 17-year old, high school athlete from Plano, Texas. You might be a student-athlete yourself or have friends who are student athletes, so Taylor’s story might speak especially to you.

Taylor took his own life on July 15, 2003, as a result of abusing steroids. With Taylor’s death came the Taylor Hooton Foundation formed by his parents, family, and friends to honor his memory, after they became aware of the growing problem among high school athletes across the country.  Not too long before Taylor’s death, NIDA noticed a sharp increase in the use of steroids among male teens in the late 1990s (Monitoring the Future Survey, 2008).

Unfortunately, I never met Taylor-wish I had gotten the opportunity-but I have met his dad, Don Hooton. Don is the type of guy that many of us aspire to be. I’ve had the opportunity to work with him and the Taylor Hooton Foundation on behalf of NIDA. The picture to the right is us at a Nationals game in DC. I’m sitting with pitcher Garrett Mock (L) and center fielder Willie Harris (R) (Who said work can’t be fun?) We’ve been working together with the goal of sharing Taylor’s story and helping teens help one another.

In memory of Taylor, please share his story with a friend. With your help, we can prevent another tragedy.

Learn more about the science behind steroid use and how it can affect your body.

Bio: Brian Marquis is a Public Liaison Officer at NIDA who connects with organizations across the country to prevent drug abuse among youth with the help of NIDA publications and Web sites.  In his spare time he enjoys playing sports, working out, going to the beach, and playing baseball with his son.

Posted: Tuesday, October 27 2009   Author: admin
Tags: Brian Marquis, Don Hooton, Garrett Mock, Nationals baseball, sports, steroid abuse, steroids, Taylor Hootno Foundation, Willie Harris
Category: Real Life