FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office
Contact: Dawn Fraylick, Communications Director
Office: +1 (586) 469-5737
Email: Dawn.Fraylick@macombgov.org
March 3, 2025
The Power of Compassion:
A Life Forever Changed by One Act of Kindness
Mount Clemens, MI - February 27, 2025, was an emotional day for Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. A special visitor walked through the doors of his office, a man whose life had been forever changed by a simple yet extraordinary act of kindness nearly two decades earlier.
The visitor was Samuel Mada, and he came to personally thank Lucido for something done in 2007—something that saved his life.
In late November 2007, Lucido was still in private practice when he noticed a familiar face in the Macomb County Circuit Court building—Elaine Maki, a court reporter for the now-retired Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Antonio Viviano, and she was looking somber.
Lucido stopped in to check on her and Elaine shared the devastating news—her son, Samuel (29), had been diagnosed with a rare heart condition and the surgery would be traumatic and life-threatening.
To make matters worse, Samuel was living in California with a nine-month-pregnant wife, preparing for the birth of their first child. The future he had envisioned for his family was now filled with uncertainty.
Lucido listened intently, but he didn’t just offer words of comfort—he took action. As a member of the Henry Ford Macomb Hospital Board, Lucido used his connections in the medical field, and he immediately began making calls, determined to find help for Samuel. That’s when something remarkable happened.
Through his efforts, Lucido was able to connect Samuel with a world-renowned heart surgeon in Southern California, one of the few specialists capable of performing advanced robotic open-heart surgery.
The robotic surgery allowed access to Samuel’s heart without cracking open his chest. The procedure, which was very rare at the time, successfully repaired Samuel’s heart valve, allowing him to keep his value and, most importantly, save his life.
“I owe Prosecutor Lucido a debt of gratitude,” Samuel said. “Because of him, I received the best medical care and was able to keep my original heart valve. I feel incredibly blessed for everything he has done for me and my family.” “It’s been (17) years and not a day goes by without thinking how blessed I am to be here.”
Samuel not only survived—he is thriving. Today, he enjoys a full life with his wife and their four children, a future he once feared he might never see.
For Lucido, it was about doing the right thing—about seeing someone in pain and stepping up to help without being asked. He knew he could do something, and he did.
This moment in 2007 is just one example of Lucido’s lifelong commitment to compassion, service, and making a difference in the lives of our families, in our community.
Sometimes, a simple act of caring and taking action can change an entire family’s outcome for a lifetime.
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