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Merrick
DECEMBER 30, 2021 - JANuARY 5, 2022
VOl. 25 NO. 1
Healing others with music
By Stephanie Banat
newsroom@liherald.com
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Courtesy Boy Scount Troop 186 xx/Herald
xx teens were the first girls in the Local nation to earn the Eagle Scout rank.0 Page
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The Long Island International Film xx
Festival returned to BellmorePage Movies. 0
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Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District xx/Herald
Sofia LaSpina made L.I. sports history xx with a touchdown catch.
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7-year-old Samantha Horowitz is teaching the world about the healing powers of music. A lifelong Merrick resident, Horowitz is a senior at Calhoun High School who for the past three years has been the sole vocalist in the production of a musical documentary,“Second Chance,” based on her mother, Tara Notrica’s, long battle with mast cell disease. “Some of the songs were written from my perspective, and some were written from my mom’s perspective,”Horowitz explained. “Music has given us the freedom to express things that we couldn’t put into words … and I truly believe it’s a huge part of the reason that my mom is here with us today.” In honor of her creative, healing effort, the Herald is proud to name Horowitz its 2021 Person of the Year. Since Notrica’s early 20s, she had suffered from a number of physical maladies of unknown causes, including episodes of anaphylactic shock, hair loss and other issues. It wasn’t until April 2011, after consultations with scores of specialists, that Notrica was finally diagnosed with mast cell activation syndrome, a rare disorder caused by abnormal or overly active mast cells that affects multiple organ systems, including the gastrointestinal, neurological, endocrine, cardiac and respiratory systems. “It took a huge toll on me and my family,” Horowitz said.“I was 5 at the time, and I didn’t understand what was going on. I just knew that my mom was sick, and that she couldn’t be the mom she wanted to be for my brother, Jared, and I.” In 2018, Notrica endured a stem cell transplant, which was unsuccessful. Next, that June, her doctors offered her the option of receiving a bone marrow transplant, which, they said, she had a 50-50 chance of surviving. Nonetheless, Notrica decided to go forward with the procedure.
HERALD PERSON OF THE YEAR
Samantha horowtiz
‘S
amantha . . . has always given her time and help to others who need it.‘
nicole hollingS Principal, Calhoun High School “At this time, the whole music process really started picking up,” her daughter said, “because there were now a lot more emotions we were experiencing to write
about … because there were some days that my mom woke up and really didn’t think she was going to make it.” Just two weeks before the bone marrow transplant, the family began filming a documentary, directed by Rochesterbased filmmakers Matthew White and Brian Gerlach. The film documents Notrica’s health journey, and focuses on the weeks leading up to the transplant. Its title, “Second Chance,” comes from one of its songs, which is about Notrica getting a second chance at life, and getting to experience everything she had missed out on because of her illness. Since 2017, Horowitz has written and recorded 11 original songs for the film. Her music career, however, started long before the documentary. “I’ve had a passion for singing since I was around 3 or 4 years old,” she said. “In elementary school I did musical theater, and then in middle school I began writing my own original songs.” In 2017, at age 13, she wrote her first song for the documentary, alongside her mother and her vocal coach, former “American Idol” contestant and Merrick native Robbie Rosen. The ballad, called “Brave the Storm,” was written to show Notrica that she wasn’t facing her illness alone, her daughter said. Another one of her favorite songs from the documentary, Horowitz said, is called “Carry On,” which she wrote from her mother’s perspective. “This song is basically my mom saying that if it came down to it and she didn’t make it, she wants my family to carry on without her,” Samantha said, “because she’d always be a part of us and would always be watching over us.” Now, nearly three years after the transplant, and after facing a multitude of complications from it, Notrica is still under Continued on page 4 Courtesy Samantha Horowitz
Samantha Horowtiz is a senior at Calhoun High who has explored the healing power of music.