Author Archives: Catherine Benson

Revisiting The Hippy Sisters: A Story of Hope, Healing and Having Fun

September 9th, 2010 - 6:00 am

The Hippy Sisters held their 5th Annual HipCheck & ChickFest at the end of August, 2010. They all received good news from their beloved Dr. Berry and spent the rest of the time celebrating their friendship and pain-free lives. They made … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Orthopedics | Tagged Hip replacement, Hippy Sisters, Patient Support Groups | Comments (8)

A new way to treat glaucoma

August 6th, 2009 - 6:00 am

Editor’s Note: This article is from the Spring 2009 issue of the Sharing Mayo Clinic newsletter. Doctors at Mayo Clinic in Florida and Minnesota are using a new technique to stabilize glaucoma and preserve vision. Glaucoma is an eye disease … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Ophthalmology | Tagged Glaucoma, Trabectome | Comments (2)

Soothing patients with the sound of music

July 30th, 2009 - 6:00 am

Editor’s Note: This article is from the Spring 2009 issue of the Sharing Mayo Clinic newsletter. Most would not consider the tuba to be especially calming or gentle. But James Jenkins, a concert tubist with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, proves … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Amenities, Events | Tagged Body and Soul, Humanities in Medicine, James Jenkins, Music Therapy, Tuba | Leave a comment

What you need to know about heart scans

July 23rd, 2009 - 6:00 am

Editor’s Note: This article is from the Spring 2009 issue of the Sharing Mayo Clinic newsletter. A CT heart scan produces stunning images of heart arteries and can diagnose serious disease, but it exposes a patient to the radiation equivalent … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery | Tagged Coronary Calcium Scan, CT Angiography, CT Heart Scan, Thomas Gerber | Leave a comment

Ali is seizure free and still dancing

July 16th, 2009 - 6:00 am

Editor’s Note: This article is from the Spring 2009 issue of the Sharing Mayo Clinic newsletter. When Ali Nowotny was just 15, she began to“blank out.” It was summer of 2006, and she was working as a waitress in her … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Neurology & Neurosurgery, Research | Tagged Ali, Epilepsy, Nowotny, Rapid City Journal, Seizure | Leave a comment

End-of-life Care at Mayo Clinic: The needs of the patient come first

April 8th, 2009 - 5:00 am

The following letter was sent to Mayo Clinic leaders by two Mayo employees, Don and Sharon Gabrielson, about the care Don’s mother received from Mayo Clinic during her last days. Dear Colleagues, On March 13, 2009 we brought our 81 … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Amenities, General Internal Medicine | Tagged Don Gabrielson, Dr. Chang, Dr. Loftus, Dr. Oxentenko, Dr. Siddarth Singh, end of life, End-of-life care, hospice, Needs of the patient come first, Nurses, nursing, Ruth Gabrielson, Sharon Gabrielson | Comments (1)

15-year-old Pianist Touches Hearts and Souls

April 2nd, 2009 - 2:24 pm

Catherine Benson is a consultant in Public Affairs at Mayo Clinic. Alex Walton-Creutz began drawing crowds by playing the piano at Mayo Clinic when he was just eight years old and started coming to the clinic with his mother, Lynnette. … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Pediatrics, Uncategorized | Tagged Alex Walton Creutz, Beethoven, Gonda Building, Lynette Creutz, Mayo Clinic, medicine, music, pianist, Piano | Comments (13)

"We’re calling it ‘Planet Mayo,’ it’s so unlike any other medical institution"

March 23rd, 2009 - 6:00 am

Albert and Mary Errato came to Mayo Clinic in February 2009 when Mary was facing another major operation. After a series of infections and complications, Mary’s foot had been amputated in 2007 at an orthopedic hospital in New York City. … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Orthopedics | Tagged amputation, Amputee, Charter House, Errato, Mayo Clinic, Orthopedics, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitiation, Physical Therapy, Planet Mayo, PM&R, Rehab, Rehabilitation, Teamwork, Wound care | Comments (4)

Speaking directly to the patient… respect, concern and grace.

March 12th, 2009 - 6:00 am

Catherine Benson is a Public Affairs Consultant at Mayo Clinic. We recently received a letter from Annie Heilman, about her mother who became a Mayo Clinic patient in December 2008. Mrs. Heilman’s mother had an aortic aneurysm along with other … Continue reading →

By Catherine Benson | Posted in Human Resources | Tagged Annie Heilman, Heilman, Mayo Clinic, Respect and concern for patient | Comments (3)

Lessons Learned from Mayo Clinic: A Caregiver’s Perspective

February 13th, 2009 - 6:00 am

I work in the Public Affairs Department at Mayo Clinic, and I’ll be writing about patient support tools and patient support groups at Mayo Clinic. For my first post, I’m going to share a presentation from a longtime Mayo patient … Continue reading →