John Hanrahan

Wrestling with Angels John Hanrahan

In 1984, John Hanrahan was featured in Interview magazine's iconic Olympic Issue as one of America's top athletes vying for a spot on the US Olympic Team. He had come within a point of defeating the mighty Soviet world medalist and had defeated other prominent world competitors. He was within reach of a lifetime dream, but then abandoned the Final Trials. The coach searched frantically for him at LaGuardia airport. He was nowhere to be found. He hadn't exactly fallen off the face of the earth; his face was appearing in worldwide ad campaigns as a top fashion model--but he'd become a full-blown drug addict, unable to face his competition, and unwilling to confront the truth of his situation. Then, in 1985, Hanrahan died from a drug overdose. He went to another place while a doctor worked frantically to revive him. He was given another chance at life, and he feels he came back for a reason . . . He returned wanting to shout his story from the rooftops, but was unable to fully share his experiences to help others. He was crippled by the stigma of being judged as a drug addict, and it wasn't until he nearly lost his own son to the ravages of addiction that he broke through and gained the strength and courage to tell his story.