George Chuvalo

George after his win over Jerry Quarry by KO (Toronto Star)

Ordinary Person:
George is the regular person who you would see on the street. He lives in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, in a fairly nice apartment with his wife Joanne. He dresses neatly, but not special. A pair of jeans and a windbreaker is how you will most likely see him. He has 2 children, Mitch, who is a teacher, and also teaches football and wrestling at his school, and Vanessa, who has a University Degree from the University of Guelph. George also has a sister named Zora, who lives in Toronto with her daughter and two of her four grandchildren. He is of Croatian descent (His parents came from Croatia in 1926, and '36). His father, Stephen (or Stjepan) worked in the Slaughterhouses (Canada Packers), and his mother, Cata, was a stay-at-home mom.

George and his wife Lynn serve Christmas dinner. (George Chuvalo, www.fightagainstdrugs.ca)

Extrodinary Circumstances:
George has had a lot happen to him over 67 years. 21 years ago, his son Jessie could not handle his drug addiction so he took his own life. Jesse began his addiction after a motorcycle accident. Jessie was in great pain after a surgery on his knee. He began getting addicted to painkillers. Then, while at a party, a friend offered Jessie some heroin and he took it and things only got worse. By '84, his brothers Steven and Georgie were hooked on heroin and turned to crime to support their wants. On Oct. 31, 1993, a few days after being released from jail for robbing a drug store, George Lee was found dead of a heroin overdose in a Parkdale hotel room. His relationship with his wife began to deteriorate because of her difficulty accepting their sons' deaths. Just a few days after George Lee was buried, Lynn took her own life. She overdosed on pills that she kept at home. Things got worse as in 1997 while Chuvalo was in Albuquerque preparing a young boxer for a fight, Steven was found by his sister Vanessa and police officers in an apartment, slumped over a table with a syringe hanging out of his arm and an unlit cigarette in his hand.

George was also a boxer which affected his health. He faced many greats, including Ali, Fraser, Foreman and many more. He is considered Canada's greatest boxer. He was never knocked off his feet in a match. He had a stellar record of 73-18-2!

George is giving a lecture. (http://www.airforce.forces.ca/16wing/news/news_images/chuvalo.jpg)

Odds stacked Against George:
When George talks in front of students about his past and tells them not to do drugs, he has to relive the tragedies that almost ruined his life. Also, not only does he have to cope with emotional scars, he has to bear with physical scars suffered through years of boxing, which deteriorated his body. George also has to face criminals who are in prison for doing the deeds that killed 3 of his 5 children and his wife. He tells them what they do is wrong, and talking to criminals can be tough. They can be stubborn, and even violent. Chuvalo blames Hollywood for glamorizing drug use. He said Hollywood films promote the notion that drug use is acceptable and no harmful effects result. He cited the film Pulp Fiction as an example.

George Prevails:
George finds happiness by knowing that he has prevented a person from ruining their lives. He uses personal tragedy to prevent families from falling to the same fate.