Cardinal Sigitas TamkevičiusLithuanian Cardinal, Former Soviet Prisoner of Conscience & Champion of Religious Freedom

#SelfMade Walter Randall Wix Story

Name: #SelfMade Walter Randall Wix Story
Uploaded: 2015-12-07T14:31:43+00:00
Duration: 1 min 3 s
Channel: Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius
Description: In a first‑person monologue, Walter Randall Wix recounts a life defined by extreme physical adversity and relentless self‑reliance. He describes how, as…

7 Dec 2015 · 1 min

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1:03

In a first‑person monologue, Walter Randall Wix recounts a life defined by extreme physical adversity and relentless self‑reliance. He describes how, as an infant, doctors told his mother that both of his legs would need to be broken and cast in order for him to learn to walk, leading to two years of plaster casts and a painful early childhood. As a teen and young adult he endured three ACL tears and two reconstructive knee surgeries, each injury pushing him toward a new path. Determined to forge his own destiny, he entered the music industry, buying a $50 1990 Isuzu Rodeo and a DIY construction guide from Home Depot, then single‑handedly building four recording studios in New York—including a Times Square headquarters for Atlantic Records—while living in a studio closet and showering at a nearby casino. The narrative frames his achievements as the essence of being “self‑made”: doing what others deem impossible through personal sacrifice, hands‑on effort, and an uncompromising belief in his own vision.

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I can't imagine how my mom felt when they told her they needed to break both my legs in order for me to walk. If the story stopped right there, that would sum it up. But it doesn't. First two years of my life were spent trying to walk with huge plaster casts on both feet. I eventually got the hang of it. It took three ACL tears, two reconstructive knee surgeries to stop one destiny and start me on the path to another. Yeah, I opened up a recording studio in New York and take over the music with $50 and a 1990 Isuzu rodeo that seemed far fetched to everyone except me. I got a job, bought a DIY construction book from Home Depot. You know, the orange ones, and built these studios with my bare hands. By myself, no crew. It took 10 years of me living in the back closet of the studio and walking to Bally's every day to take a shower. But I did it. Four recording studios, Times Square recording headquarters for Atlantic Records. Self made is when you've made yourself do things others weren't willing.