When Tim Thomforde was diagnosed with COPD, his quality of life began to gradually decline, and he had to abandon many of the activities he enjoyed. Since undergoing a double lung transplant two years ago, however, Tim has had experiences he never dreamed possible when he was struggling with COPD.
Each year, Mayo Clinic pediatric surgeon Christopher Moir, M.D., serves as a visiting faculty member at hospitals in Africa. This work has expanded his view of how health care can be delivered and reinforced his admiration for those who practice medicine under persistently challenging circumstances.
When Dale Leighton underwent a heart transplant at Mayo Clinic, the motorcycling enthusiast believed his days of poor health were behind him. But the new heart failed to work. For Dale, who's dealt with life-threatening heart disease for years, that meant a second heart transplant and a second journey through recovery.
After a decade of running 5Ks, 10Ks and half-marathons, pain was keeping Kaitlyn Johnson from the sport she loved. Though she feared her running days were over, a comprehensive treatment plan developed by Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine allowed Kaitlyn to get back to running and achieve one of her biggest personal goals.
For new parents of babies born with Down syndrome, the educational brochures that were at their disposal made them feel less than hopeful. Mayo Clinic's Office of Patient Education knew they could do better, so a team set about creating new materials to provide families with a more optimistic outlook.
Mayo Clinic's 14-year partnership with Diné College has opened up opportunities for students like Corinna Sabaque to gain experience in fields where Native communities are often underrepresented and underserved. In Sabaque's case, those opportunities launched a career in cancer research.
When Kendon Holdaway found out he would need a kidney transplant, his close-knit family rallied around him. With his mother as his living donor, and his father and siblings stepping up to be caregivers, the transplant turned into a bonding experience that drew the family even closer.
Feelings of gloom set in whenever Carys Rees-Baker and her family discussed the surgery Carys needed to fix her underbite. But the shadow lifted when Carys met a team of Mayo Clinic dental and maxillofacial specialists whose compassion assured her she would be well-cared for and the treatment well worth the effort.
When Jo-Ann Rosemont learned she had a meningioma in her head, she followed her care team's advice and had regular checkups for more than a year to make sure it wasn't growing. But after one of her local doctors insisted that she get a second opinion at Mayo Clinic, Jo-Ann ended up undergoing a unique surgery that saved her eyesight.
LeAnn Kuper couldn't have been more surprised when she was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer and told it was incurable. Despite that shocking news, the upbeat interior designer was undeterred. LeAnn took her case to Mayo Clinic and found a determined physician who offered her a promising alternative.
Going through a medical evaluation after being diagnosed with breast cancer was a nerve-wracking experience for Traci Miller. But members of her Mayo Clinic care team quickly stepped up to calm her worries and ease her fear.
Linda Schweikert's eyesight took a turn for the worse overnight. But thanks to an expert team working across organizations, Linda got the vital treatment she needed in time.