(PHOTO BY JACOB KESSLER / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
ONE PERCENT … Local business owner Brock Mealer holds up his new book “Beyond 1%” during a launch party at the Table in Wauseon. The book includes many things for the reader to discover, including “Brock’s Extraordinary Story”, “The Power of Perseverance”, “Mindset over Matter”, and more.
By: Jacob Kessler
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jacob@thevillagereporter.com
Local business owner Brock Mealer has recently released a book, called 1%, where he details his experiences with tragedy and the work it took to achieve success.
On December 24th, 2007, a tragic car accident led to the passing of Brock Mealer’s father and his brother’s girlfriend.
The accident also left Brock paralyzed from the waist down. That is when doctors told him there was only a 1% chance, he would ever be able to walk again.
A month prior to the accident saw Brock’s younger brother Elliot commit to the University of Michigan’s football team. It was there that Mike Barwis became the strength and conditioning coach for the team, which would lead the two down a path of success in the coming years.
After two years of therapy and hardly any progress made, Brock was still in a wheelchair. That was when Barwis asked Brock a hard question.
He asked Brock if he really wanted to walk again. The answer of yes set the two on a journey of recovery that achieved results almost immediately. After six weeks of training, a twitch was felt in his leg, and after only six months, there were a lot more feelings felt besides a twitch.
Six months later, Brock led the Wolverines out onto the football field without assistance from anyone around him. A special shirt was made for the occasion that read, “Glory to God’ and “1%”.
With just two canes, and a huge amount of motivation, what was thought to be next to impossible was achieved. As the years continued to go by, Brock continued his training with Barwis and began to walk further and further.
The new book released by Brock has been years in the making. Brock explained that he has been journaling and editing on and off.
A lot of work was done throughout the years, but these past six months saw the bulk of work completed for the book. With help from StoryBuilders and Amazon, Brock’s book was able to become physical in form, not just an idea.
“It’s awesome. I really realized over the last ten years how impactful it can be to go out and speak and share the story”, said Brock.
“This is just another vehicle that lets me get that story out there. I am excited to hopefully see some of the impacts this may have. I am hopeful this story will help even just one person.”
“To show them there is more than they know that things can be overcome, and that the work is never really over. Hopefully, people can get a lot out of this and will be something they can carry with them for a long time,” added Mealer.
Brock has been out promoting his book in an effort to get the word out. On Friday, August 23rd, a launch party was held at The Table in Wauseon. Brock also plans on being out at the fair and is looking forward to seeing everyone there.
The book is available on Amazon right now, with an audiobook currently in the works. Brock also hopes an opportunity will come to feature the book locally.