TULALIP – Former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar and four-time boxing champ Marc Mero brought families to tears and hugs Thursday, delivering a powerful performance with his inspiring message to young people to end bullying, and make choices in life that lead to a bright future.

Mero was joined by Amy Briggs, a mother and school teacher who provided a moving story of her 16-year-old son, Daniel, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2014 after being bullied relentlessly at his junior high school in Clayton, N.Y.

Mero and Briggs’ appearance came about thanks to Marysville police school resource officers Jeremy Wood and Chris Sutherland, who donned purple “Team Daniel” shirts along with several other police officers to honor the memory of Briggs’ son whose life ended all too soon.

Anti-bullying assemblies were held at all Marysville secondary schools Feb. 21-23, culminating in Thursday’s presentation at the Tulalip Resort. The event drew a standing-room only crowd of hundreds. Marysville police thanked local businesses and community members for donations that funded the program.

Mero’s message is focused on the love his mother game him when he was a young child. He makes similar presentations in schools across the country through his nonprofit organization, Champion of Choices, which focuses on anti-bullying efforts.

A Florida native who grew up poor in a New York neighborhood, Mero recalled how at 10 years old, he kept a journal of his goals and dreams. They included becoming rich and famous, buying a black Cadillac, a speedboat and a house for his mom, so the family could escape the small home they lived in.

It was difficult for Mero to think those dreams would come true, as he was bullied often because of second-hand clothes he had to wear – some from other school boy’s yard sales that recognized him in their old shirts. He was labeled a “bum” and became an easy target for bullies.

Mero suffered a tough adolescence. He got in with the wrong crowd, drugs and alcohol. He said he should have been a role model to his younger brother and sister, who idolized him. Both died later at milestone moments in their lives, and Mero admitted to being himself a bully, especially to family.

He was hard on his mom, too. She would leave the light on overnight when he came in to let him know that she was awake and waiting for him to come home after nights of partying.

“My mom wouldn’t go to bed until she knew her son was still alive,” said Mero, adding that he didn’t appreciate his mother being there for him when all she wanted to do was talk.

Mero turned his life around, joining the WWE at 31. He became rookie of the year and beat “Stone Cold” Steve Austin for the intercontinental title. He purchased the expensive toys and lived the rich and famous lifestyle he dreamed about.

Then, he resorted to his old ways. He lost his big house, his wife of 10 years, and more than 30 friends to death, many of them wrestlers like him.

“I’ve overdosed on drugs on three occasions where I should’ve been dead, but I believed I was kept here for a reason.” Mero told the audience.

Sometimes you think it can’t get any worse. Then it does.

While on a wrestling tour in Japan, he was called back to his hotel room to take an urgent call from the states.

“Marc, your mother died,’” Mero said. “I just threw the phone down. I ran out of my hotel room. I took the elevator to the lobby. When the doors opened up, I just ran out into the street.”

Mero told the audience that his mom was a “hero” to him.

“The greatest gift my mother ever gave me was she believed in me,” Mero said.

Mero told the audience that the pursuit of fame and fortune happened at the expense of destroying his personal life, and it was the choices he made moving forward, his character, and willingness to help, inspire and treat others well that would put him on a positive track in life.

The message of the tragic circumstances that bullying and cyber-bullying can have on impressionable young people and their families struck an emotional nerve with the audience when Mero brought Amy Briggs on stage.

Briggs is a mother and school teacher who provided a moving story of her 16-year-old son, Daniel, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 2014 after being bullied at his junior high school in Clayton, N.Y. He enjoyed nature and the outdoors, he was smart, and excited to go off to college.

Daniel was bullied by a group of students over many years. He had food thrown at him in the lunchroom, was taunted and called names, at one point had to lick a bus window, and he was shoved into a Christmas tree. He had also been shoved into a locker.

His parents reached out to the school many times, but nothing seemed to help his situation, she said.

Things worsened when a kid texted online and told Daniel to do the world a favor, take a gun and shoot himself. Daniel replied, and the kid followed up with “put up or shut up.”

The parents actually got a call the day of Daniel’s death alerting them to a rumor that he was going to go home and kill himself, but they didn’t get the message in time. Briggs arrived home, and found her son had passed away.

Briggs said she hopes that by sharing her story, families won’t have to go through the nightmare of losing a child to the bullying epidemic.

“It’s an epidemic that is tearing families apart and causing community uproar across the country,” she said.

Briggs was asked in hindsight if there was advice she would have given to her son.

“A big piece of it is to find an adult in your life, school, community, make sure you keep talking to adults until somebody does something.”

But, she added, “Know that there truly are some teachers and administrators who don’t believe bullying is really a problem.”

She encouraged parents to band together. “My voice was heard once or twice, but you can’t ignore 300 voices in a school board room.

Mero chimed in. “When you find the courage to tell somebody, you’ll be surprised at how many others are going through the same or similar things as you.”

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teens.

Briggs said she is moved by the big impact Daniel’s tragic story has had on the world.

“Tragedy can go one of two ways – consume us or drive us. I know he was a wonderful young man.”

Mero urged young people in the audience to stop making bad choices and treat each other with respect. To the bullies, he said to stop the tormenting, step up, and befriend those they’re hurting with their words.

“Behind every text, there are real people with real feelings,” Mero said.

Mero and Briggs said if you’re being bullied, tell someone about it immediately, whether a parent, a school counselor, a friend.

Mero has also talked to bullies and their parents’ request.

“They want me to meet with them,” he said. “They’ll break down in my office. A lot of bullies are really broken down people. Once they can admit that they’re also hurting inside,” that tends to bring a change in them.