In 2007, despite being born with a congenital heart defect and Type 1 Diabetes, Mark Miller was a rising star in professional kickboxing- handsome, hard-charging, and a winner. But when a routine physical uncovered a serious heart condition, he was barred from competing. He needed an open heart procedure that would save his life--and end his career. Miller’s dramatic and life-saving surgery also worked to reunite his fractured family, and shortly after his release from the hospital, he began training again, refusing to accept his fighting career was finished. But within a year, his father, his mother, and his brother all died, and Miller’s fragile optimism imploded under the weight of his grief and his fear he would never fight again. Unmoored and grief-stricken, he fell into a tailspin of drugs and alcohol.
PAIN DON’T HURT is a story of incredible tenacity, dedication, and hard work—how one fierce competitor overcame repeated obstacles to realize his dreams. Miller recounts stories ranging from his childhood spent in the Steelers locker room to the surprising life lessons he learned from other fighters to his triumphant return to fighting in a Moscow kickboxing ring. He talks sincerely about family and fatherhood—of the hard lessons about masculinity and violence learned from his abusive father. He also offers an inspiring, exciting, and frank account of the fights—both in and out of the ring—that have shaped him. A deeply personal account of perseverance and determination--and guts, blood, and glory-- PAIN DON’T HURT is a mesmerizing story of how one man overcame the odds, time and time again.