Mayo Clinic Health System
May 19, 2022
Complex spine surgery helps Belinda Purdy walk again
By Joel Streed 
Belinda Purdy isn’t the type of person who enjoys sitting on the sidelines. She and her family love to travel, swim, eat out and spend time outdoors. She’s used to being on her feet all day and loves to walk 3 or 4 miles per day. But in spring 2020, Belinda felt like she was […]
Tags: Belinda Purdy, Dr. Michael Stark, Dr. Navid Khezri, L5/S1 spondylolisthesis., Mayo Clinic Health System, spine surgery
March 31, 2022
Back on the bandstand: Feeling better with Mayo Clinic Advanced Care at Home
Robert Heintz of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, is no stranger to hospitals. Born with a congenital hip defect, he has had several hip surgeries over the years, beginning as a toddler. When Robert was scheduled for hip revision surgery at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 2021, he was happy to learn he could […]
Tags: advanced care at home, Dr. Jonathan Webb, hip surgery, Mayo Clinic Advanced Care at Home, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Robert Heintz
March 21, 2022
Cancer survivor walks on the sunny side of the street
When you meet Jennie Spencer, be prepared to chat, answer questions about yourself and your family, and make a new friend. By any measure, the 66-year-old wife, mother, grandmother and leukemia survivor from Forest City, Iowa, is truly a warm and remarkable person. Having previously been diagnosed and treated for a rare genetic migraine condition […]
Tags: Cancer survivor, Jennie Spencer, Leukemia, lymphoblastic leukemia, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center
March 10, 2022
Seeing straight thanks to surgery for crossed eyes
Sight is the most dominant sense. It affects people’s ability to perceive and move through the world, but it also affects how people are perceived by others. Eye contact during a conversation shows attentiveness, respect, confidence and understanding. Each person has a different comfort level with sustained eye contact, but this part of nonverbal communication […]
Tags: crossed eyes, Dr. Dany Najjar, Dr. Sasha Mansukhani, George Frank, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, strabismus
February 24, 2022
All hands on deck for Jill McElroy
For 29 years, a U.S. Navy plaque has hung in an exam room of Donn Dexter, M.D. It commemorates his military service as a hospital corpsman on the USS Ranger aircraft carrier from 1972 to 1976. It may be small, but it represents the biggest decisions that shaped his life: to join the U.S. Navy at 18 […]
Tags: Dan McElroy, Dr. Donn Dexter, Dr. Michele Ries, Jill McElroy, Larry Fout, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire
January 27, 2022
New heart, new start for Gregg Bohlig
Heart-pounding moments have been ever-present in Gregg Bohlig’s life. He is a gifted athlete and was a three-sport star in high school, earning state player of the year in football and second team all-state guard in basketball. And he was offered a contract with a major league baseball team. While in college, the Eau Claire, […]
Tags: Cardiology, Dr. Daniel Kincaid, Dr. Julie Rosenthal, Dr. Patrick DeValeria, Gregg Bholig, Heart transplant, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Mayo Clinic in Arizona
January 20, 2022
A mother’s heart: Teamwork saves new mom, son
Every birth is a life-changing event and many new parents enjoy sharing detailed birth stories to all who will listen. Some stories are about quick labor and barely making it to the hospital in time. Others tell tales of painful back contractions or long, slow labor. It’s not a competition, but if it were, the […]
Tags: Aortic Dissection, Dr. Carla Williams, Dr. Nishant Saran, Dr. Robert Wiechmann, Dr. Westley Manske, Julie Janzen, Kyle Janzen, Mark Twesme, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire
January 6, 2022
Sudden cardiac arrest sidelines coach during game
It was the first week of the football season at Waseca (Minnesota) High and Coach Brad Wendland was anticipating celebrating a 27–13 win against St. Peter with his team — not a near-death experience. As the clock ticked down the final minute, Brad felt lightheaded. Then he collapsed in a heap on the sidelines with […]
Tags: Brad Wendland, Cardiovascular Medicine, Krystal Malis, Leah Rutz, Mayo Clinic Health System, sharing mayo clinic, Sudden cardiac arrest, Troy Hoehn
December 30, 2021
New lease on life starts with bilateral hip replacement
By Joel Streed
What do you do after surviving an extraordinary health crisis? Steve Knutson celebrated his new lease on life with a bilateral hip replacement at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Steve’s medical journey started on a typical workday in early March 2020. He and seven other colleagues came down with flu-like symptoms and felt […]
Tags: Dr. Jonathan Webb, joint replacment, Legionnaires' disease, Mayo Clinic Health System, Orthopedics
December 23, 2021
Upper airway stimulation therapy restores couple’s restful nights
Many mornings, Jerry Wojtkiewicz woke up more tired than when he went to bed. So did his wife, Sally Wojtkiewicz. Jerry was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in 2016, but he had never adjusted to his continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, getting tangled in the hose and constantly fighting with the mask. “I don’t […]
Tags: Dr. Christopher Williams, Dr. Patrick Shinners, Jerry Wojtkiewicz, Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, obstructive sleep apnea, Sally Wojtkiewicz