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
Five years ago, Jason and Celina Call of Kalamazoo, Michigan, were enjoying a happy life with their three-year-old son, Dominic. “I had a healthy pregnancy and birth. Dominic was an active and healthy toddler, and we were busy watching him grow. But we started noticing some strange behaviors,” recalls Celina. A few months after turning… Continue reading Dominic’s Michigan Answer: Living a Seizure-free Life
Kristi Brown’s first pregnancy had been going even better than she hoped. Her medical appointments had all delivered good news. She and her husband, William, were happily preparing the baby’s room, all the while sharing their excitement with friends and loved ones. But at week 20, an ultrasound revealed unexpected news. Her baby had spina… Continue reading William’s Michigan Answer: Surgery, While Still in the Uterus
