Patient & Family Advisory Committee Profiles
In addition to raising a family, I spent 23 years as a pilot and flight instructor, and am now retired. Previously I was an instructor at Oakland Community College and pilot at Pontiac Airport. I flew small and midsize business aircraft as well as automotive cargo in a DC-4 cargo plane. I am also a longstanding member of the 99s, an international group of women pilots who promote aviation safety and education.
My husband, Ralph, traveled extensively in his job with automotive supplier, Federal Mogul Corp. During those years he was an avid jogger and later on began swimming competitively with Michigan Masters. Ralph’s story of rapidly fading from an athlete to total heart failure within a few short months, is both long and detailed. It includes a week spent on ECMO prior to a biVAD implant, continued multiple organ failure, months living in intensive care, extensive rehabilitation and a subsequent heart transplant on February 11, 2006.
Because of the many services received at University Hospital, the people we met and the length of time spent there, I feel uniquely qualified to act as a PFCC Advisor and feel compelled to contribute in making UMHS the very best hospital.
Ralph and I were asked to participate in the Michigan Difference commercials in 2007 and his picture still hangs proudly on the second floor hall between the Taubman Center and University Hospital. Today he swims again competitively and I am happy to be his wife.
My desire to become a nurse began when I was 15 as I cared for my mother who was diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, she survived only 7 months post her initial diagnosis. In my 20 years of nursing experience, I have had the opportunity to work in both neonatal/pediatric intensive care units (ICU/CCU) and Post Open Heart Recovery. Having worked in both the adult care and pediatric care world and been a family caregiver, I have a passion for Patient and family Centered Care and strive to share that passion with staff.
My name is Jonathan Eliason, and I am one of the vascular surgery faculty here at the University of Michigan. I came here in 2007, after finishing an active duty tour with the United States Air Force. Since I started practicing vascular surgery, my interests have primarily revolved around the diagnosis and treatment of aortic disease, in both adults and children. However, my interest in medicine and its roots developed when I was much younger.
As a high school sophomore, I traveled with my family to Cameroon, Africa, at a time in which my parents were teaching at a missionary conference. During my free time, I had the opportunity to follow a medical missionary. That experience set me on a track towards patient care. While trailing along behind this physician, I encountered a patient who had been treated with ritualistic burning to purge evils spirits from her abdomen, but the diagnosis was acute appendicitis. I watched this doctor treat her with such compassion, and great tenderness, after her significant ordeal. Not only was she recovering from a recent appendectomy that he had performed, but she also had to heal many of the burn wounds that were still evident across her abdomen from her attempted prior healing.
Fast forward to my training in general surgery, and vascular surgery. Without meaning to, one can become callous and forget that patients are people, and that the medical problems they are experiencing are quite simply some of the most important events in their lives. Instead, I began to think of patients as a disease complex or clinical problem that needs to be solved. Patient and family centered care programs has helped me remember my roots and why I went into medicine. I am proud to be a member of this program.
I believe that good health care is efficient when the patient stays actively involved in their care. With so many resources available to us, we should actively ask questions and respect that not all resources have all the answers.
I am an advocate for blood and organ donation.
John, my spouse, and I met in the Marine Corps in 1994. We have been married 15 years. I served for 4 years and he served for 9 ½ years. John fought to continue to serve in the Marines after receiving his first heart, but has sadly been medically retired. He was a Drill Instructor at Parris Island, Marine Corps Base, when he first became ill. He returned to Drill Instructor duty 7 weeks following surgery, my father-in-law had the LVAD heart, which assisted him for a year. My mother-in-law has had a kidney transplant, donated by her daughter in 2006. My mom is currently under medical care for various medical conditions.
My husband’s first transplant was in South Carolina, where he received exemplar care, his second was here at U of M and he also received superior care. My husband stayed on the 5th floor of CVC for over 2 months, partly awaiting the heart and partly after surgery. During his stay, the swine flu (H1N1) was hitting our area, and children were not allowed in the hospital. My visits then became infrequent and the hospital staff insured that my husband was comfortable. I always felt as though the staff took care of my husband as though he was family to them. We met some wonderful people, patients and staff.
My goal is to help staff and patients experience the phenomenal time I had in a difficult situation. I want to have a voice for those who want unparalleled care and are willing to do their part in receiving this care.
I began my career in my late 30’s as a graduate nurse on 7C, one of the units that I now manage. In addition, I also worked as a staff nurse in the CICU which I also manage. Cardiovascular Nursing has always been my passion. My family has a significant history for Hypertension, Type II Diabetes and the cardiovascular complications related to those chronic diseases. My desire has always been to educate and to inform.
I often offer my time volunteering in the African American community (mostly churches). My primary focus is health promotion and to dispel the myths that have followed African Americans from generation to generation.
I have been the wife and partner to Randy for over 30 years. I am also the mother of three and grandmother of one. I love what I do and believe that my life is as it should be.
At the age of 25, after experiencing flu like symptoms, I spent three months inpatient at UMHS and received a successful heart transplant. Twelve years later, my physicians discovered some complications and I spent another 90 days inpatient at UMHS awaiting a second heart. Thanks to my amazing group of doctors, nurses and support staff, I received a second successful transplant in March of 2007. The experience as a pre and post transplant recipient with two long term hospital stays has provided me some unique perspectives on patient care. I am committed to the Hospital, its staff, patients, families and objectives. My passion is to bring all parties involved in the care of patients into one focal group with the goal of providing the best possible care and outcome for each patient
As a result, I am a strong advocate for organ donation, patient’s rights, and Patient and Family Centered Care at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Program.
I was born with Tetralogy of Fallot. I had bypass surgery when I was 2 years old and a complete repair when I was 5. At the age of 20 I was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia and an automatic implantable defibrillator was implanted. The device has saved my life 9 times over the last 20 years. Since then I have also been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and atrial tachycardia. When I was 32 years old I had my pulmonary valve replaced.
I am a member of the PFCC committee because I want to encourage patients to be their own advocate. Don’t be afraid to ask the questions. Don’t be afraid to challenge your physician. When it’s time to make an important decision about your health make sure you are fully informed and make sure the choice that you make is what is right for you and your family.
My career began at U of M in 1985 as an exercise physiologist. A few years later, I was managing the cardiac rehabilitation and preventive cardiology clinics. During this time, I recognized my passion to provide ‘more’ for the patients. I returned to college and received my bachelors in nursing, while also staffing for a limited time on 7C. Prior to my current position in the CVC clinic, I also served as a nurse manager covering several of our outpatient nursing programs.
My personal experience with my son’s chronic medical condition (and my involvement in Mott PFCC as a parent advisor), combined with my passion to serve, stimulated my strong interest in PFCC. It is an honor to be chosen to serve on the PFAC and I am dedicated to making every visit the best patient and family experience!
My mom always told me that I was going to take care of people because I grew up taking care of others. I found myself as the advocate for most of my family members during their course of disease and hospital stays. I'm extremely supportive of PFCC concepts used in adult care because our loved ones need advocates during the most vulnerable times of their lives, at any age. My mom had breast cancer for two years and then died of a metastasis to the brain. Hospice taught our family a lot about dignity and respect for our loved ones wishes, while supporting us through the grieving process. Then I cared for my father with cardiac disease and a broken heart (from the passing of my mother). I had the opportunity of experiencing the University's approach to PFCC first hand when my parents and husband used the facility for medical and surgical care. I'm an honored member of the CVC Patient and Family Advisory Council, supporting our advances in PFCC.
My Ann Arbor roots grow deep. My father, Dr. Raul H. Perdomo, finished his surgical residency at U of M in 1944, where he met my mother, a nursing student of Irish decent. The first time I was a patient at the University Hospital was in 1949, when I was five years old. In 1998, at the age of 52, I was rushed to the hospital with a dissecting Aortic Aneurysm. Lucky for me, Dr. Richard Prager became my cardiac surgeon. In 1999, Dr. Michael Deeb surgically repaired the dissection with a 14” thoracic graft. I developed congestive heart failure after the surgery, and as a result now have an ICD (Implanted Cardio-Defibrillator). In 2009, Dr. Gilbert Upchurch replaced the lower aorta and both left and right iliac arteries. As a result of my medical history, I have been a patient of “Old Main”, U of M Hospital and the new CVC.
Married to my wife since 1985, we have three children. Our two sons are in college, and our daughter is a junior in High School. Maureen is with the Department of Urology at U of M, as Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Director. Raul is studying Computer Science at Eastern Michigan University, and Edward is attending Washtenaw Community College, pursuing a career in business. Wanting to be there for my family is what has pulled me thru my medical emergencies.
I founded the former Central Café (1976-1983), owned The Beer Depot, and sold residential and commercial real estate for twenty years. Currently I work for the University of Michigan, Department of Athletics in game operations, and work part time for the Ann Arbor Public Schools, Rec and Ed Department supervising both youth and adult team sports. I’m serving my fourth three-year term as Lay Representative on the Institutional Review Board approving research protocols for the VA hospital in Ann Arbor.
I live in Chelsea, Michigan, on a ten acre farm with seven hens, four horses, three cats, two fish, and one dog. My favorite place is on my Kubota tractor cutting grass and moving things with my front loader, where my wife accuses me of running into way too many things.
He began his career at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee as an Assistant Professor in the Section of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery in 1978 with interests in adult cardiac, as well as general thoracic surgery. He returned to Ann Arbor in 1983 and joined the Cardiac and Thoracic Surgical Group at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital. During this time, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital was selected a HCFA demonstration hospital for coronary artery bypass and Dr. Prager was the Medical Director of this national project. Over the ensuing years, he became the Associate Head of the Department of Surgery and Head of the Section of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery and the Medical Director of the Mercy Health Services Cardiovascular Network. In 1999, he moved to the University of Michigan as a Professor of Surgery and Head, Adult Cardiac Surgical Division with ongoing interests in adult cardiac surgery, health outcomes research, patient safety, organizational efficiencies, and education.
Dr. Prager leads the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons Quality Collaborative Initiative and is Chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Adult Audit Task Force, Chair of the taskforce on the adult cardiac surgery database, Chair of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Task Force on Quality Initiatives and Chair of the STS Work Force on Associate Members. He is a Director of the University of Michigan’s Cardiovascular Center and recently assumed the role of Program Director of the Thoracic Surgery residency.
