“RIDING TO HONOR HIS LIFE”- A STORY OF A PAST CLIENT YOU DONT WANT TO MISS
“RIDING TO HONOR HIS LIFE”
40 YEARS OF BREAKTHROUGHS
THE RANDY HOROWITZ STORY- THE STORY OF A PAST PERFECT STEP CLIENT
POMONA, CALIFORNIA
It is audible, ear piercing, horrendous. It is such an eerie sound that you become more alert. The problem is you lack feeling. Not the kind of feeling that you are thinking of, but the feeling of life. A life where things are abundant, and you are free. The only feeling that you can sensitize with is horror, pain, discomfort.
Your eyes open and you look. You see something that is far from angelic, but the constant reference from those around you is to that of something referred to as a “halo.” This is not what you suspected when you thought of the possibility of seeing an angel or what we depict as a representation of angels here on this earth. You try to refocus. It appears to be metal. Steel caged. You see the screws. Completely pointy, jagged, straight out of Home Depot. You are looking so far up above your head to try and make eye contact with the screws, that your eyes nearly roll in the back of your head. You cannot get calm while trying to make sense of what is going on around you, within you, and through you, so you zone out, into a deep dark place.
The pressure is unbearable. Those jagged screws drive deeper and deeper into your skull, piercing through your skin with nothing to protect you other than local anesthesia. While the pain is unforgettable, unimaginable, and almost physically deteriorating to the point of death, the pain serves as another purpose. In a weird way, it is a reminder that you are still breathing, you are still here, and even though the pain is something that you would never wish upon your worst enemy, it’s still a reminder that you have physical feelings and that your heart is beating.
It’s August 21, 1981.
You blink.
It is now 2021.
Randy Horowitz, a local realtor for Century 21 Peak in Upland California, serves the foothill community area and is a father of two children, a grandfather, and a loving husband.
Do not confuse Randy’s distinctive gait pattern with a hitch in his step and a limp to his walk as a representation of his perceived mentality, as it is much more of a representation of his past than it is anything else.
Randy has been in the real estate industry for 30 years. He and his loving and supportive wife, Candis (Candy), have been parents of 30+ years to two great children, Taylor (son) and Ashton (daughter). Taylor is married (Carolyn) and has a child of his own (Edison), with another one on the way. Ashton is married to her high school sweetheart, Matt, and they have a daughter of their own, Paxton. Randy and Candy have been loving their newfound role of being grandparents in more recent years. The idea of continuing to give to others and supporting those whom they love is simply in their DNA.
This approach is an inherent trait of the Horowitz family from top to bottom. They have an uncanny mentality of being selfless and supporting their local communities. This has been instilled in both Taylor and Ashton from their upbringing. While Randy has inherently lived as a giving man of faith, rooted in his Jewish culture, he has also had some reaffirming life events that have put a seal on his notion of the importance of life itself and serving others.
Randy has taken a hard-nosed approach towards his promotion, advocacy, and support of many things in the local communities over the years, but namely his support of The Be Perfect Foundation. The Be Perfect Foundation is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that raises funds for individuals living with paralysis, something that hits home for Randy. The program services that are considered by The Be Perfect Foundation are providing financial and emotional support to those post-injury and diagnosis for things like wheelchairs, medical supplies, home and car adaptations, and participation in exercise-based therapy programs. The nonprofit organization has been around since 2007 after its founder suffered a life-altering injury himself. The grassroots organization does not have paid staff, ensuring that 99.9% of every dollar donated goes directly back to program services and individuals in need. Since its inception in late 2007, the nonprofit organization has raised over $7 million for individuals suffering from paralysis.
Randy has grown overwhelmingly passionate about advocating for those that The Be Perfect Foundation supports and identifies as individuals in need. This affinity for The Be Perfect Foundation came about as an ironic twist of fate.
Randy’s daughter, Ashton, graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Integrative Physiology (study of body movements). Upon moving back to the Southern California area in 2013, after her college studies were completed, Ashton started to pursue her career path orientation in a direction toward something that she was passionate about. Ashton’s passion for the body, how it moves, and how to rehabilitate it post-injury/diagnosis reflected many years of observation and overwhelming passion toward her dad’s lifestyle. This passionate interest of the field landed Ashton a job in the field of paralysis recovery at a facility in Claremont, called Project Walk.
Project Walk (has been renamed since then and is currently known as The Perfect Step) is an outpatient recovery center designed to provide therapeutic interventions for those suffering from paralysis that is predicated around high-intensity therapy, loadbearing, exercise, and reconnecting the nervous system/brain to the rest of the body. Ashton immediately fell in love with her job’s sake and more importantly the clientele that she was serving. Her 7+ year journey in the field of paralysis recovery is a reminder to her every day of the many life lessons that she was taught as a kid.
This simple introduction to the Project Walk brand, community, and clientele was an indirect introduction to The Be Perfect Foundation. The owners of Project Walk, Claremont, are also the founders of The Be Perfect Foundation. Project Walk, now The Perfect Step, serves as the bricks and mortar paralysis recovery center to individuals in need in the greater Los Angeles area, while The Be Perfect Foundation serves as a resource of hope and financial security to those individuals as well to be able to afford this world-class therapy. Thus, Randy became passionate about supporting his daughter’s endeavors and her career path orientation while making a difference in the lives of those that he could so closely relate.
Some may not see the struggles that come along with spinal cord injury, at least those that are not ever so apparent, visually, to somebody that is ambulatory (walking) or semi-ambulatory (walking with assistance). It takes effort to get to know the true depths of somebody, what they have been through, where they have come from, and where they are headed. A simple conversation about more than just the weather outside may get you there. Or maybe it will not. But we all are so quick to judge off a façade, a preconceived notion, or a visual judgment, that we immediately jump to conclusions on what we believe is such or so. If you were to talk to Randy in depth he would tell you, his story.
On August 21, 1981, Randy was on a river trip with several friends. Randy was involved in a diving accident at the river, breaking his neck at the C-5 level, leaving him a spinal cord injury, and paralyzed from the neck down. After being rushed to the hospital and stabilized with a “halo” drilled into his skull, in order to realign his spine, Randy was still in bad shape. Most prognosis after an injury like this offers little to no hope of physical recovery and what is to come thereafter. 40 years later the story is told much differently.
The year 2021 followed the most tumultuous year that many people have ever experienced in their life, for those who are living presently in the 21st century. Following a nationwide pandemic, that challenged people’s finances, mental health, security, relationships, and much more, nothing would be more fitting to get back up on your high horse than to do the near impossible.
40 years ago, to that of 2021, 1981, was the year of Randy Horowitz’ unforgettable accident. While August 21, 1981, and the events that compiled were an accident, what has happened since has not been by accident, but through intention. An intention through a mentality within Randy to never let a single day go by as a day that was lost, unfulfilled, and un-impactful on others.
To commemorate the 40-year anniversary of Randy’s accident, he is going to participate on November 13, 2021, in the Tour De Foothills “Century Ride” (a cycling ride along the foothill communities in Southern California). Randy will cycle on his bicycle 100+ miles, under his own power, in honor and as a reminder to himself of all that is possible through hard work, determination, hope, and faith. For a man that maybe once thought that he may not have much hope for a fulfilled life, this is not a bad sign, stamp, and seal of approval to an unbelievable life 40 years post-injury.
What is more, is Randy’s intentionality behind why he is setting out to accomplish such a monumental feat. Randy intends to raise awareness and even more importantly fundraise through the race, for proceeds to go directly back to those in need through The Be Perfect Foundation. Randy intends to be surrounded by many at the finish line that day including his loving and supportive wife of over 35 years, his kids, grandchildren, fellow realtors, community supporters, friends, and interested local news outlets. While finishing the race will be symbolic of something incredible, just starting the race on his own two feet is where this story truly starts.
If you were to have told somebody at the age of nearly 20 years old that they would sustain a spinal cord injury, have little to no hope to walk again and then: carry on to marry the love of their life, start an incredible family, become a loving grandparent, become a renowned realtor, become a notable advocate for the spinal cord injury community, and become a philanthropist beyond belief, you wouldn’t believe that that story could be lived. If you are then to write a P.S. monologue and continuation of that story to then say, 40 years after that spinal cord injury that individual would have the wherewithal to get back on their bike and complete a grueling 100+ mile bike ride to raise awareness for those living with paralysis, you would think that that is something only told in Hollywood. But this is real life. These miracles, these achievements, and the stories do happen… Regardless of how much pain and suffering one can go through, there is always that opportunity to bounce back. Sometimes it’s not the setback, but merely the comeback. It all starts with one single step in the right direction, the perfect step.
November 13, 2021
The alarm clock awakens you out of deep sleep. You start huffing and puffing out of what you have just reflected on in your dream state. You wake up thinking it is real. Your eyes pierce open to what you think is going to be something angelic, and it is this time… It is the light shining through the curtains, resembling a new day, the day of the “Century Ride.”
You take one step out of your bed and onto feet that have many miles on them, 60+ years of miles. It’s not easy, it’s not flawless, there’s a hitch in it, but it’s moving forward. And then you are reminded not how far you were setback, but merely how far you have come. Your pursuit of living, family, parenting, grandparenting, philanthropy, and walking again is your proof. You have already won, you have already started the race and in many ways the race has already been finished, but still, you move forward to cross the finish line. When you cross the finish line the noise is audible and ear piercing, but for all the right reasons. The outside noise in life is a reminder to you of what drives you forward, not what paralyzes you. You think it is the trophy that is going to give you the satisfaction, but then you think again, and it has actually been the journey and how you have gotten there that seems to stand out. Your pain did not limit you but merely enabled you to open your eyes to what was right in front of you all along, the finish line.
In life, painful experiences reshape our mentality. Sometimes these mentalities create actionable paralysis and sometimes they promote action.
To learn more about Randy’s pursuit of the “Century Ride” feel free to follow the updates on his Instagram handles:
@randy_horowitz_c21peak
@randyhc21
To learn more about The Be Perfect Foundation visit beperfectfoundation.org. On their website click on the donate tab where you can make a donation in honor of Randy for the “Century Ride.”
To learn more about The Perfect Step visit theperfectstep.com.