Remembering Dr. Harold “Hackie” Reitman
The Different Brains team is heartbroken to share the passing of our founder, president, and beloved friend Dr. Harold “Hackie” Reitman. Below we are sharing Hackie’s obituary as written by his loved ones.
As the Different Brains team mourns this immense loss for our community, please consider revisiting some of Hackie’s work. His previous articles can be seen here. His documentary Asperger’s, Autism, and the Square Root of 2 can be seen here. And, previous episodes of Hackie’s interview show Exploring Different Brains can be seen here.
Dr. Harold “Hackie” Reitman, a beloved father, husband, partner, brother, uncle, cousin, and dear friend, passed away on March 4, 2025, in Weston, Florida, after a courageous battle with heart disease. Born on March 29, 1950, in Jersey City, New Jersey, he was 74 years old and was preceded by his parents Phil and Evelyn. Hackie is survived by his son, Isaac Asa Abraham Agulnik Reitman, the light of his life. He also leaves behind his loving partner Dr. Gretchen Heinsen, sister Alice Karacadag (Ozhan), and brothers Dr. Fred Reitman (Barbara), and Billy Reitman (Sharon) along with many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Hackie was an orthopedic surgeon, former professional heavyweight boxer, entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist, and the founder and president of Different Brains. He grew up in the Greenville section of Jersey City and graduated from Henry Snyder High School where he played varsity basketball. In the fall of 1968, Hackie entered the accelerated six-year medical program at Boston University School of Medicine. In his first year of medical school, Hackie, who started boxing at the age of 13 at the Jewish Community Center in Jersey City, surprised classmates and faculty by entering the 1971 New England Golden Gloves championships in Lowell, Massachusetts as a heavyweight. He won all four of his fights by knockout and became the 1971 New England Golden Gloves heavyweight champion. Following the title fight, Hackie was approached by Boston promoter Sam Silverman and who offered him a $100,000 professional contract bonus on the condition he leave medical school and turn professional heavyweight boxer. He declined the offer saying that his mother would kill him if he didn’t become a doctor. He completed his medical school studies.
In 1978, Hackie moved to Plantation, Florida where he founded Orthopedic Associates USA. A specialist in arthroscopic knee surgery and sports medicine, he served as senior surgeon and CEO, expanding the practice throughout South Florida. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons. Reitman retired from surgery in 2004.
The genesis of Hackie’s professional boxing career occurred in 1986. Hackie and his ex-wife Marilee’s 3-year-old son Asa required emergency brain surgery and was transported by air to the Mayo Clinic. He made a personal vow to revive his boxing career to raise money for children’s charities. Asa survived the surgery, and Hackie and another parent from the Mayo clinic, Ed Zbikowsky, whose son also underwent brain surgery, organized a charity boxing card in Chicago that matched Hackie against Illinois Judge Mike Bolan in a three-round amateur fight which he won by knockout. The proceeds from the event were donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. In 1988, at the age of 37, the redoubtable Hackie turned professional.
He had 26 sanctioned professional fights including sparring with 37 world champions. He gained widespread media attention as the “Boxing Doctor” or “Fighting Surgeon.” In March 1992, Hackie was the 12th ranked Heavyweight boxer in the world according to the International Boxing Council. He was inducted into the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, and the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011.
A longtime supporter of the Boys and Girls Club of Broward County as a member of the board, he served as chairman of the board in 2001. He donated the building at 3025 W. Broward Blvd known as the Dr. Harold ‘Hackie’ Reitman Unit Boys and Girls Club.
In 2010, Hackie wrote, produced, and co-directed the feature length independent film, The Square Root of 2, starring Darby Stanchfield. In 2017, he co-produced the feature documentary film Foreman, based on the life of legendary boxer George Foreman.
Hackie was a prominent Autism and Aspergers advocate, and active writer and lecturer on the topic of neurodiversity. His non-fiction work, Aspertools: The Practical Guide for Understanding and Embracing Asperger’s, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Neurodiversity was published by HCI Books on in 2015. In the first weeks after its release, it climbed to #1 on the Amazon Best Sellers list within the Autism and Aspergers category.
In 2015, he founded DifferentBrains.org, a non-profit organization developed to provide neurodiversity resources and inclusive support communities for those on the autism spectrum or with neurological disorders.
A graveside funeral service will be held on Thursday, March 6th at 2:15 pm at Star of David Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Funeral Chapel, 7701 Bailey Road, North Lauderdale, FL. For a link to a zoom livestream of the services, email joseph.satchi@gmail.com.
The family has requested that those wishing to donate in Hackie’s memory, may do so at DifferentBrains.org.
