Heather Grossman's story is one of almost unimaginable resilience. She survived not one but two abusive marriages — the first ending when her ex-husband hired four hitmen to kill her in 1997, leaving her immobilised from the neck down. Yet Heather Grossman today is not defined by what was done to her. She is a public speaker, a domestic violence advocate, a mother of three, and a woman who chose purpose over despair. Whether she has found romantic love again remains a question her public profile leaves deliberately open.
Source: Facebook
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Heather Grossman survived a murder-for-hire attack in October 1997 that left her a quadriplegic on a ventilator.
- Her first husband, Ron Samuels, was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to life in prison plus 120 years.
- She has three children — son Ronnie and twins Lauren and Joe — from her first marriage.
- Grossman won Ms. Wheelchair Arizona in 2007 and was first runner-up at the national Ms. Wheelchair America pageant.
- She serves as a consultant to the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime in Washington, D.C.
Profile summary
Full name | Heather Grossman |
Age | 57 (as of 2023 reports) |
Nationality | American |
Hometown | Originally Minnesota; based in Mesa/Paradise Valley, Arizona |
First husband | Ron Samuels (m. 1988, div. 1994) |
Second husband | John Grossman (m. June 1997) |
Children | Ronnie, Lauren, Joe |
Disability | Quadriplegic; ventilator-dependent |
Known for | Domestic violence survival and advocacy |
Organisation | Heather's Haven of Hope (founder) |
Who is Heather Grossman?
The former high school cheerleader met Ron Samuels while working as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines. In the late 1980s, Heather — a young woman from Minnesota — had been working as a flight attendant when she met Samuels on a plane, and he wooed her with gusto and charm.
In December 1988, Heather and Ron married. Their son Ronnie was born shortly afterwards, and two years later, they had twins, Lauren and Joe.
The first abusive marriage
After the wedding, Heather says Samuels became "very controlling, very demanding" — almost like he owned her. The abuse escalated quickly. She said:
"I was pregnant with my twins and he held a gun to my head and said, 'You're not going to leave. If you leave me, I'll kill you.'"
She finally did leave, filing for divorce in 1992. Heather and Samuels had been involved in a bitter custody fight since their 1994 divorce. A judge awarded her custody of their two sons and daughter, while Samuels retained visitation rights.
The murder-for-hire attack
In 1997, Heather's ex-husband hired men to kill her in a drive-by shooting in Boca Raton, Florida. Even though their divorce had been finalised two years earlier, Samuels continued to follow and harass her, making continuous death threats.
One of the hitmen aimed a high-power rifle at Grossman from the back seat of a car next to her vehicle at a stoplight in Boca Raton, firing two rounds — one of which struck her in the neck.
The shot severed Grossman's spinal cord, immobilising her from the neck down and requiring her to use a wheelchair and ventilator for the rest of her life. She died at the scene of the crime but was brought back to life by a paramedic.
Ron Samuels: justice delayed
In 2003, Ron Samuels was extradited from Mexico after serving five years in prison there on unrelated charges. In 2006, he was convicted of the shooting and sentenced to 120 years in a Florida prison without the possibility of parole.
Florida officials indicted Samuels for the murder-for-hire plot and put him on trial in 2006, requiring Grossman to return to Florida to testify. She described him as arrogant and defiant at the trial. Samuels was found guilty and the judge sentenced him to life in prison plus 120 years.
Heather Grossman's two abusive marriages: what happened with John Grossman?
Source: Facebook
After a five-year relationship, Heather married John Grossman in June 1997. Grossman was with John when the hitman hired by Samuels ambushed them. John was also shot — in the chin — during the same attack.
During her recovery and rehabilitation, John was there helping her heal. To everyone's surprise, he suddenly turned violent — stabbing her with forks, preventing her from breathing, and abusing Heather's three children.
After the attack and after she became a quadriplegic, her second husband also allegedly became physically abusive. Because she is unable to move or physically defend herself, the abuse by her husband was considered even more serious under the law. Nurses witnessed it; the police documented it.
Heather eventually escaped this second abusive marriage too, this time through the courts.
This is the question many followers of Heather Grossman's story ask most often. To date, no verified public source confirms a current romantic partner. Heather has not spoken publicly about a new relationship in any sourced interview.
What she has found is a different kind of love — for her children, her community, and her calling. She shared:
"So many women and men and children have died from domestic violence, and I feel that I was kept alive because God gave me the chance to give back this way."
She says she wakes up every day with a purpose, dedicating her life to her family, helping others overcome domestic abuse, and supporting those in similar health situations.
Heather Grossman's children
Heather had three children with Ron Samuels: son Ronnie, and twins Lauren and Joe.
She would go to her kids' classes in elementary school, read to the class and answer questions about her wheelchair. In addition to raising her kids, Grossman became a passionate educator and speaker on the dangers of domestic violence.
Grossman has led a fulfilling life as a quadriplegic, seeing her kids graduate college and start good lives. Her daughter Lauren has also been actively involved in supporting her mother, including running a GoFundMe campaign to fund her round-the-clock care.
Heather Grossman today: advocacy and achievements
Today she lives a full and happy life, dedicating her time to raising her three children, mentoring newly injured spinal cord patients and public speaking. She speaks about domestic violence, educating others on the danger, the warning signs, and how to survive. She is a consultant to the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime in Washington, D.C., speaking at their conferences and seminars.
In 2007, she was chosen as Ms. Wheelchair Arizona and represented the state at the Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant in Maryland — becoming the first contestant ever to compete while fully disabled and on life support.
That same year, she was invited to the White House to meet with President Bush in the Oval Office, where she discussed domestic violence and people with disabilities.
Heather also launched Heather's Haven of Hope, a foundation that assists domestic violence shelters in Arizona, providing support to victims and educating the public on issues relating to domestic violence and its victims — including children.
Her story was featured on the Lived to Tell podcast, where she discussed surviving the attack and its aftermath in her own words.
Warning signs Heather urges everyone to know
Heather regularly shares advice from personal experience. She has highlighted the following red flags in abusive relationships:
- Trying to control where you go
- Trying to control who is calling you
- Verbal degradation before physical violence begins
- Threats made during pregnancy or times of vulnerability
- Using money or legal systems to harass a partner
Grossman advises people struggling with an abusive relationship to document incidents by contacting police, save money, and ask friends and family for help. If they cannot help, she says, "domestic violence organisations are all over the state and they will advise you what to do. Nobody deserves to be abused."
Is Heather Grossman still alive?
Yes. Heather Grossman is a Mesa resident who found a new life after being left disabled from the neck down by a hitman hired by her ex-husband. She has been fighting Medicare to keep the support systems that sustain her quality of life.
It costs approximately $9,600 a month to have round-the-clock at-home care — something she greatly needs, with a ventilator providing her oxygen. As she continues to travel across Arizona sharing her survival story, she encourages people to donate to her GoFundMe fundraiser.
Latest news
Heather Grossman, aged 57 at the time of the most recent coverage, remains an active voice in domestic violence awareness circles in Arizona. Her appearance on azfamily.com in March 2023 — timed to International Women's Day — brought renewed attention to her case and her ongoing advocacy work. Her Lived to Tell podcast episode brought her story to a new audience in 2025.
Those who encounter Heather are often struck by the contrast between all she has endured and the warmth of her character — you would never guess how much she has really been through by seeing her positive attitude and love for life.
Net worth
No verified sources exist for Heather Grossman's net worth. Given that she requires approximately $9,600 per month for round-the-clock care and relies in part on public fundraising, net worth figures published on entertainment aggregator sites are not considered reliable. This section is intentionally omitted.
FAQs
- Is Heather Grossman still alive? Yes. She lives in the Mesa/Paradise Valley area of Arizona and remains active as a public speaker and domestic violence advocate.
- Who are Heather Grossman's children? She has three children with her first husband, Ron Samuels: son Ronnie and twins Lauren and Joe.
- What happened to Ron Samuels? Samuels was found guilty and the judge sentenced him to life in prison plus 120 years.
- Did Heather Grossman's second husband abuse her? Yes. After her recovery, John Grossman allegedly turned violent — including stabbing her with forks and preventing her from breathing.
- Does Heather Grossman have a partner today? No confirmed partner has been identified in any public source. She has focused her life on her children and her advocacy work.
- What is Heather's Haven of Hope? It is a foundation Heather founded to assist domestic violence shelters in Arizona and educate the public about domestic violence.
- Where can I find Heather Grossman's story? She has been featured by NBC News, The Mesa Tribune, CBS News, and the Lived to Tell podcast.
- What awards has Heather Grossman received? Her honours include the Empowering Survivor Women's Award, an Award of Achievement from President George W. Bush in 2007, and first runner-up at the Ms. Wheelchair America national pageant.
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