November 25, 2019
After ‘Just Surviving’ on Dialysis, Canna Celebrates Life With a New Kidney
Canna Caldwell endured a four-year wait for a new kidney. And for 2½ of those years, she required dialysis four days a week — a grueling experience that sapped her energy and narrowed her world. But then Canna got the call she had been waiting so long to receive, and a kidney transplant transformed her […]
June 19, 2018
Tackling and Taming a Rare Autoimmune Disease
When Kelli Anderson first decided to get her odd symptoms evaluated, she thought she had something resembling the flu. She never dreamed doctors at Mayo Clinic would diagnose her with an uncommon disorder that was attacking her kidneys.
Tags: dialysis, Dr. Allan Klompas, Dr. Andrew Rule, Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Dr. Stephen Erickson, Dr. Vesna Garovic, Goodpasture's syndrome
May 7, 2018
Kidney Stone Clinic Helps Kathleen Ryan Overcome a Daunting Health Challenge
After years of enduring pain from frequently passing kidney stones, Kathleen Ryan now enjoys a better quality of life thanks to cutting-edge imaging technology and a comprehensive treatment plan at Mayo Clinic’s Kidney Stone Clinic.
Tags: Dr. William Haley, Kidney Stone Clinic, Kidney Stones, Mayo Clinic in Florida, MayoClinicFL, Nephrology and Hypertension
April 24, 2018
Doctor Looks to His Alma Mater to Fight a Rare Disease
As a medical student, Dr. James Stewart was eager to learn to help others. But he was unaware of just how valuable his Mayo Clinic education eventually would be to his own health.
Tags: Chronic kidney disease, Department of Hematology, Dr. David Dingli, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Monoclonal gammopathy, Nephrology and Hypertension
January 26, 2017
Paired Kidney Donation Opens the Door to a More Active, Independent Life for Kathy Allen
From Kathy Allen’s point of view, paired organ donation just may be the ultimate in generosity. Deciding to donate a kidney to someone you don’t know in a paired exchange can trigger a chain of matches that gives several people the opportunity for a renewed life. “I can’t thank the donors enough for their selflessness,” […]
Tags: Kidney Failure, kidney transplant, Paired Organ Donation
January 5, 2017
‘You Never Think About a Living Donor Until Someone You Love Needs One’
From the time he was 13 years old, Jairus “Matt” Pierce, battled kidney disease. By 2016, when he was 44, the disease had become debilitating. A shift commander for a fire department, Matt had been forced to take a light-duty assignment because of his medical condition. He required daily dialysis, and the only long-term solution […]
Tags: Living Donor Transplant, Mayo Clinic Transplant Center
December 30, 2016
Paired Kidney Donation Offers a Unique Way Forward for Transplant Recipient
The day before Norma “Kay” Orr was scheduled for a living donor kidney transplant at Mayo Clinic, she needed one more blood test. The Palm Coast, Florida, resident was in line to receive a kidney from her niece, Jamie. Jamie Rogers had volunteered to be a living donor when she found out in early 2016 […]
Tags: Dr. Martin Mai, kidney transplant, Living Donor Transplant, Transplant Medicine
December 23, 2016
Successful Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer Inspires Richard Carvajal to Reach Out
In August 2014, Richard Carvajal, then 43, was in the best shape of his life. He was excited as he left his home in Bainbridge, Georgia, to compete in his first Olympic-distance triathlon. But as he drove across Alabama on his way to the race site, he started feeling sharp abdominal pain. “It kept getting […]
Tags: Dr. John Stauffer, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, Pancreatic Cancer, whipple procedure
December 15, 2016
Cowboy Back in Saddle After Successful Treatment of Glomerulonephritis
During the summer of 2016, for the first time in years, Jack Rhodes did something he doubted he’d ever do again. The 68-year-old retired rancher from central Alabama saddled up a two-year old stallion to train, exercise and ride. Four years ago, Jack had gained 40 pounds due to fluid retention that resulted in swelling […]
Tags: Chronic kidney disease, Dr. Nabeel Aslam, Glomerulonephritis, Kidney Failure, Mayo Nephrology Collaborative Group
October 26, 2016
Colleagues Go From Sharing a Workplace to Sharing a Kidney
When Dawn Odenthal sat down for a meeting with her colleague Jolinda Conzemius in June 2014, organ donation was nowhere on her radar. The two women knew one another through their work at a company that specializes in school photography, yearbooks, church directories and other forms of memory preservation. Dawn is a regional sales director, […]
Tags: kidney transplant, Living Donor Transplant, Mayo Clinic Transplant Center