ABOUT US

Rima Samman

RIMA SAMMAN

Founder

Rima was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and migrated with her family to the US in 1989. She was raised in New Jersey along with her younger brother, Rami. It didn’t take long at all for both of them to fit into the American culture. From childhood, Rima and Rami were very artistic. They both loved both the performing and visual arts. After college, Rima spent many years having leadership positions in the retail industry before she transitioned into the Lasik and eye surgery field. However, she always kept art and photography as a hobby. Rami went into the hospital on 4/16/20 for high fevers and difficulty breathing. He would spend the next 22 days battling high fevers, experiencing blood clots and kidney failure (which were issue he never dealt with previously). He would receive dialysis daily and eventually improve. However, an attending nurse would test positive for COVID-19. Instead of being permitted to come home, he was transferred to a nursing/rehabilitation facility in Cinnaminson, NJ, where he would have to quarantine an additional 14 days before being released. Instead, Rami passed away only 48 hours after being admitted at only 40 years old.

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TRAVIS V. WHITAKER

Co-founder, Treasurer

Travis was born and raised in Neptune, NJ. Prior to the pandemic shut-down, Travis was busy in acting and entrepreneurship. He was cast in 3 off-Broadway shows in 2020 that had to cancel. Early in 2020, Travis’s college friend, Alex Demby, died of COVID-19. A few months later, we lost Rami Samman, Rima’s brother. Travis was involved with Rami’s Heart from the very start. What was meant to be a small birthday celebration and memorial for Rami has taken on a meaningful role for many grieving families and friends. It started with a few dozen names on small stones inside a heart-shaped from clam shells painted yellow. No one could have imagined that it would grow so quickly into a memorial for over 3,000 souls lost to the virus. Travis is grateful for the opportunity to offer comfort to so many families. He is touched by the gratitude and support from the many family members whose loved ones are memorialized in Rami’s Heart.

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LORRAINE JACOBS

Board Member, Public Relations Representative

Lorraine was born and raised in New Jersey. Lorraine graduated from Rutgers University in 2005 with her Master’s in Social Work and has since worked in Community Mental Health as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Lorraine has held many leadership positions in her life and is the current Vice President of her jobs union. Rami’s Heart Memorial is important to Lorraine as she lost her father to COVID-19 on December 28, 2020. The memorial in Belmar NJ has given Lorraine and her family a place to go to remember her father and a place to honor him as he loved fishing and the ocean.

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SHEILA AYRES

Board Member, Secretary

Sheila, a Pennsylvania resident, lost her mother to COVID pneumonia on February 7, 2021, after enduring weeks on a ventilator. Sheila and her family were only able to talk to her via conference calls into her hospital room to say, “Goodbye.” Her mother was not a number or a statistic. She was full of love and had years left to live. Sheila wants to honor her mother and increase awareness and compassion for those who lost loved ones to COVID-19. She found Rami’s Heart Memorial on Facebook and asked Rima to add her mother’s name to a heart; her mother loved spending time at the beach all her life. Sheila traveled to see the memorial and helped re-write names on stones that were fading, and then came back to help move the hearts off the beach. She wants to continue to work to preserve and display the memorial to bring some comfort and validation to those who lost loved ones to this plague.

Stacie Roman

STACIE ROMAN

Board Member, Event Coordinator

Stacie, a New Jersey resident who lost her father to COVID pneumonia on February 12th, 2021. She was not able to visit her dad while he was at the hospital just shy of 2 weeks before his passing. She had to watch him take his last breaths through a glass door on a zoom call outside that door. After his passing, she wanted to honor her dad and spread awareness about the loved ones lost to COVID. She wanted people to realize that they are people, not just a number, not just a statistic on TV. She found Rami’s heart memorial and reached out to Rima to add her father to the memorial. She attended the beautiful heart candle lighting and has been the mastermind behind the “Preserving Our Hearts” virtual walk scheduled for the week of June 7th through June 14th, 2021. The memorial brings some type of solitude to her, just like many others. It will always hold a special place in her heart.

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ADAM JACOBS

Committee Member, Events Coordinator Assistant

Adam was born and raised in New Jersey. Adam graduated from Rutgers University in 2006 with his master’s in social work and has since worked Providing clinical social work services to people of all ages and backgrounds. Adam also has experience working in an emergency room setting where he witnessed the impact of COVID-19 on everyone. Adam has been involved with community service projects since he was in college. Adam became interested in volunteering with the memorial after his father-in-law and several friends passed away from COVID-19. On the weekends Adam enjoys watching football and his favorite team is the Jets.

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MARIA COOK

Committee Member, Public Relations for the Hispanic Community

Maria was born in San Jose, Costa Rica. She is the daughter of Luis Fernando Quesada and Carmen Vargas. She lives in Lumberton, New Jersey with her husband Ken and two sons, Nicolas and Oliver. Since losing her father to COVID in October 2020 (10 days into his retirement), Maria decided to volunteer her time assisting seniors with vaccine appointments. Now, Maria’s goal is to continue her father’s legacy and help others do the same by working with Rami’s Heart.

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SHANNON RYAN

Committee Member, West Coast Relations and Representative

Shannon is a Southern California-born native of the Golden State, daughter of Cynthia Rose Ryan and John Patrick Ryan. Now residing in beautiful rural Lake County, California, home of one of the state’s oldest natural lakes, with her partner Jacob and children Hugo Jr, Izabella Flor, and Harmony Rose, she is advocating for the importance of remembrance. Since losing her mother to COVID-19 in February 2020, she is now dedicating her time and talent to set up a California Chapter COVID-19 Memorial Rami’s Heart in honor of her mother’s sacrifice and helping other grieving survivors in recovery working with Rami’s Heart.