Support Healthcare Heroes Marisa and John

Support Dr. Marisa Perdomo and John Everett: Healthcare Heroes Facing Their Greatest Challenge

I'm Dr. Ellen Zambo Anderson, a physical therapist and professor emerita at Rutgers School of Health Professions. I am also a colleague, collaborator, and friend of Dr. Marisa Perdomo. Marisa and I are proud Mountaineers, having graduated from WVU just one year apart. Please read about Marisa and her husband, John, and join me in supporting them as they work to recover from the California fires.

Marisa and John, both healthcare professionals, have built a life around giving and supporting those with health issues. Specifically, Dr. Marisa has dedicated her life to helping cancer survivors rebuild their lives for decades. As a nurse and now a nurse anesthetist, John relieves the fear of many who receive surgery. Today, after losing everything in the recent California fires, this remarkable healthcare professional team needs our support to rebuild their lives.

Marisa's story is one of extraordinary resilience. In 1978, as a senior high school student at St. James Major (New Orleans), she faced her first battle with cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 1980, as a sophomore at West Virginia University, she suffered a recurrence of her cancer. With support from family and her WVU college friends, she graduated as a physical therapist in 1983. Rather than letting these experiences defeat her, they ignited a passion that defined her career. She went on to earn her Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California and became an expert in helping cancer survivors regain their strength and independence.

Throughout her career, Marisa has made lasting contributions to cancer rehabilitation care, particularly in the treatment of breast cancer-related lymphedema. Her work includes pioneering the development of clinical practice guidelines that benefit patients worldwide. Even while facing one more battle with breast cancer, she remained committed to improving the physical, emotional, and psychological health of individuals diagnosed with cancer.

The life-saving treatments that helped Marisa survive cancer have left lasting challenges. For the past four years, she has been unable to work due to severe physical limitations, including spinal instability, chronic pain, and debilitating fatigue. She now relies on walking aids and a cervical collar for basic mobility. With her COBRA benefits ending in December 2024 and significant difficulties securing new healthcare coverage, Marisa faces challenging medical expenses.

Throughout her own healing journey, Marisa has found profound strength and renewal through yoga and spiritual practices. She brings this holistic wisdom to her work with cancer survivors, understanding deeply that true healing encompasses both body and spirit. These practices continue to be a vital source of resilience in her life.

After a career in accounting, John found his passion for nursing in his 30s (University of Washington), and his heart settled on nursing anesthesia (Fullerton University). John has experienced his own healthcare challenges with prostate cancer and then two total hip replacements, one of which needed revision due to manufacturing issues from the use of cobalt in the femoral head. This resulted in four more surgeries to replace the hip prosthetics and deal with the soft tissue necrosis and damage caused by the radiation from cobalt being used in the “prosthetic hip.” We are grateful for Dr. Oaks (USC orthopedics) and Dr. Cary (USC plastic surgery and reconstruction) for their expertise and capacity to restore John’s ability to walk, work, and live a normal life.

Then came the devastating fires in Altadena, California. Marisa and John lost not just their home but everything they owned. After a lifetime of helping others find their path to recovery, they now face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from scratch.

We're reaching out to all communities whose lives Marisa and John have touched:

• The WVU and USC alumni networks

• The UNM and UW alumni networks

• Physical therapy and oncology rehabilitation professionals

• The nursing and nursing anesthesia community

• The yoga and integrative medicine community

• Friends, family, and everyone who believes in supporting those who've dedicated their lives to helping others

Your donations, no matter the size, will help provide:

• Essential medical care and coverage

• Rehabilitation services to keep Marisa walking and pain-free

• Resources to help Marisa and John rebuild their life

John has “shouldered” the financial responsibility these last four years while Marisa focused on her rehabilitation to improve her ability for independent self-care. Marisa has shown incredible strength throughout her journey, but this challenge is too big to face alone. Let's unite to support these healthcare heroes who have given so much to others. Your generosity can help Marisa and John write the next chapter of their remarkable story of resilience.

Please share this campaign with your networks to help us reach more people who can support Marisa and John’s recovery.