It was December 2017, and Chris Connolly was four months into medical school, when he discovered it was difficult for him to hold onto a cardiology stethoscope when reaching across a patient’s hospital bed. It was time to take a trip to the hardware store. “Before I started medical school, I worked with occupational therapists… Continue reading Chris’s Michigan Answer: Creating a way for himself and others
Imagine being 200 feet underwater on a shipwreck that very few people have seen. Now, picture yourself weaving in and out of a centuries-old shipwreck with the pressure of a Michigan Great Lake upon you. For 53-year-old Meredith Hoag, these adventures were not just real, but a source of pure joy. “Scuba diving and technical… Continue reading Meredith’s Michigan Answer: Getting Back to Her Greatest Passion.
The speed. The rush. The adrenaline. Since birth, 34-year-old Michael Asher was always known for being a daredevil. “I’ve just always loved speed,” Michael says with a smile. “Sometimes too much.” The Detroit, Michigan native had a special reputation for riding motorcycles with a lead foot. But that need for speed caught up with Michael on September… Continue reading Michael’s Michigan Answer: A Prosthetic Leg Built for Speed.
What happens when you’ve had four major heart surgeries by age 26, yet your heart continues to worsen and your doctor tells you that you now need a heart transplant? If you’re Candice Tarter, you get a second opinion from Michigan Medicine. “I had my first open-heart surgery at 16,” recalls Candice, now 30. “And… Continue reading Candice’s Michigan Answer: A Second Opinion. A Second Chance.
At 10 years old, Akylah Marshall was your typical preteen. Playing basketball and softball, dancing, watching TikTok and hanging out with friends were just some of her passions. She even discovered a newfound interest in volleyball that she was looking forward to pursuing. But in November of 2019, life had different plans for Akylah. After… Continue reading Akylah’s Michigan Answer: The Fastest Response for the Rarest Cancer
Most aspiring physicians study medicine with the hopes of saving lives, being on the cutting edge of research, or developing the latest therapies and technologies. For Dr. Valeria Valbuena, it was all of the above, plus one additional life-affirming goal. I want to play a leading role in promoting and organizing a diverse workforce in medicine.… Continue reading Dr. Valbuena’s Michigan Answer: Being Empowered to Empower Others
Nearly all of us engage with some form of social media every day. But what if the true power of social media wasn’t found in a like, tweet or follow? For an emerging field of research taking place at Michigan Medicine, it’s the data inside social media that may have the power to give patients… Continue reading Dr. Vydiswaran’s Michigan Answer: Better Outcomes Through Big Data
On October 10, 2020, Carter Hilton celebrated his sixth birthday by doing what he loves most: running around his backyard, dancing with his younger brother, and being chased throughout the house by his mom. It helps that Carter is a naturally exuberant child. It also helps that Michigan Medicine performed the first in-womb spina bifida… Continue reading Carter’s Michigan Answer: The State’s First Spina Bifida Fetal Surgery
Alone. Scared. Never knowing who to trust or where to turn for help. That’s how Kade Fitzgerald of Jackson, Michigan lived the first 32 years of his life. Assigned female at birth, Kade knew at age 6 that he was meant to be a man. By the time he was a teenager, the need to… Continue reading Kade’s Michigan Answer: Becoming Who He Really Was
What do you do when you’re experiencing unexplained abdominal pain, weight loss and chronic fatigue and your doctor can’t tell you why? That’s what Michael Skaggs asked himself when scan after scan, test after test, and doctor after doctor were unable to help him. “It was frustrating, but I refused to give up,” explains Michael,… Continue reading Michael’s Michigan Answer: The Power of a Second Opinion
