“Go Walk Hyler Street”: A Tribute to My Mother, Mary Proodian, and the Opportunities We All Hold

December hits differently for me this year. On November 14, 2025, I lost my mother, Mary Proodian.

She was my biggest fan, my best friend, and the person who shaped every dream I ever dared to chase. At 59, I know how rare and extraordinary it is to have a mother who listens, understands, and fuels your ambition rather than fearing it. 

I’m blessed beyond measure.

Opening Eyes and Opening Doors

When I was a child, Hyler Street in South Hackensack, New Jersey was the place you went when you wanted something and were willing to put in the work. That’s where the jobs were.

Throughout my childhood, my mother would say, “Go walk Hyler Street.”

It was never said in a dismissive, “get a job” kind of way.

It was a gentle nudge of encouragement and inspiration that whispered, “You have opportunity. Go claim it.”

Born in Portland, Maine to an Armenian immigrant and survivor by lineage of genocide, my mother came of age in the 1940s and 1950s. The opportunities I had were not available to her. But she made sure I saw what was possible. 

She navigated life in a way that showed her children – not through lectures, but through example – that we lived in a world where doors could open if we had the courage to knock.

When the door required a battering ram, my mother became that battering ram.

Fueling my Dream with Faith

In 2003, my wife, Stacy, was pregnant with James Daniel, our third child. With his arrival, we would have three kids under the age of 5. I had taken out a loan of well over $1million to build what would become Natural Healthcare Center. 

At the final hour, I learned that I needed an additional $100,000 to move forward. Without hesitation, my mother remortgaged her house and handed me the money. 

No fear. No conditions. No questions asked. Just love, faith, and conviction.

Without her, Natural Healthcare Center would have remained scribbled in my college notebook. A dream begging for oxygen.

Instead, my mother made it possible for my life’s work to have a home. 

A Legacy of Love

My five children adored everything about their grandmother, from her gentle yet strong spirit, to her home-cooked Armenian food, to her hand-knitted hats, mittens, and scarves.  She was their hero. In many ways, she was the hero of our entire family, a woman who offered history, hope, and humor in equal measure. 

My mother and I shared something else. We were both the youngest of four. I always joked that made me her favorite. 

Maybe it did. Or maybe she just made everyone feel like a favorite.

Choosing Opportunity

My eulogy for my mother centered on Hyler Street. Her gentle nudge to “go walk Hyler Street” wasn’t just about work. It was about opportunity. Taking ownership of your life. Listening intently to the right voices. Acting with integrity and courage.

I’d like to pass on to you what my mother instilled in me.

Hyler Street is all around you. It might be quiet or disguised as a challenge. But it’s always there.

We all have opportunities – in our lives, in our careers, and in our health – to make ourselves better. To find a greater sense of fulfillment. To strengthen our relationships. And to feel better, function better, and live longer.

You don’t have to settle for anything less than what brings you pure joy and prosperity, even when you know the journey will be arduous. That’s part of what makes it worthwhile.

You can make the choice to write your own story. 

Where is your Hyler Street?

Natural Healthcare Center and Proodian Healthcare exist because my mother believed in me. She had faith in my dream before it became real. 

Today, everyone who walks through our doors inherits that belief, extending an unbroken chain of opportunity from her life to theirs.

This month, in my mother’s honor, I ask you to look around you, and look inward.

Where is your Hyler Street? 

Where is the opportunity awaiting your action?  

What step can you take to move closer to the strongest, healthiest, and happiest version of you? The version of you that is closest to God? 

As my mother said many times, “Go walk Hyler Street.” Open the door to opportunity. And write the next chapter of your story.