JoAnn Eaton recognizes 40 years of great care with gift to support research

JoAnn Eaton has taken on many roles in her life: an avid golfer, an international logistics professional, a Navy veteran of the Vietnam era — and a longtime believer in Henry Ford Health.

Originally from Baltimore, JoAnn moved around Ohio before landing in Detroit in 1982, where she was introduced to Henry Ford through her company’s HAP insurance. From then on, despite job changes and moves, JoAnn always kept her care in the Henry Ford family.

“Dr. (Maria) Samuel is my third primary care doctor with Henry Ford,” shared JoAnn. “She was pregnant with her son when we met — now he’s a freshman in college.”

Joann’s longstanding relationship with her trusted Henry Ford providers has led to early detection of two potentially deadly conditions. In 2011, after both her father and aunt passed away from aneurisms in a short period, Dr. Samuel insisted on testing JoAnn for aneurisms, too — and found one.

Later, when JoAnn broke her hip in 2020, a myriad of precautionary tests revealed that she had begun to develop lung cancer — and had no idea.

“I had no symptoms of lung cancer,” said JoAnn. “I may not be here today if I hadn’t gone to Henry Ford.” With expert guidance and support from her doctors, JoAnn has been able to access effective treatments to manage both conditions.

In 2018, she began the process of revising her will. After consulting with her family, JoAnn made the decision to leave the majority of her estate to charities with a special emphasis on Henry Ford.

“For me, from an emotional standpoint, it was an expression of gratitude to Henry Ford for being with me all these years and the level of care I have received — sometimes under trying circumstances,” shared JoAnn. “It was also a practical matter, knowing that the money will be put to good use.”

JoAnn chose to designate her estate gift to aneurism research, recognizing the impact the condition had on her family.

“To this day, I absolutely recommend Henry Ford,” she said. “There’s space for people of all kinds who value great care to give to the goodness of this place.”