September 28, 2012
Sidelined by Concussions, Sydney’s Now Back in Action
One goal changed her life. Now almost two years after a devastating concussion, Sydney Urzendowski is changing the goals of her life. Sydney, of Elkhorn, Neb., was an active teenager, always on the go and had high aspirations in playing sports for a long, long time. Things changed for her when she was playing soccer […]
Tags: 5292, 5333, Arizona, concussion, David Dodick, Mayo Clinic, return to play, sports, Sydney Urzendowski
May 7, 2012
Saving Lives by Recruiting Marrow Donors
Carolyn “Ceci” Christenson, age 18, of Gilbert, Ariz., has already survived a rare, life-threatening blood disorder and become a high-powered recruiter for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Her experience inspires Christenson to speak out for patients whose hope for a cure resembles a high-stakes lottery. In December 2011, she appeared on CBS’s “The Early […]
Tags: 2463, 3981, 5279, 5324, 5333, Blood Disorders, Carolyn Christenson, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), Roberta Adams M.D.
March 6, 2012
Cancer Survivor Bikes the Desert to Deliver Donation
To celebrate his “first birthday” after treatment for esophageal cancer, Ricky Rinehart, 54, rode his bike to Mayo Clinic — 213 miles across the desert from his home in Yuma to Phoenix, Ariz. Thirteen friends, family and co-workers joined him for the two-day ride last October. They delivered more than $10,000 in donations for cancer […]
Tags: 1136, 3169, 5267, 5279, 5333, esophageal cancer, Rickey Rinehart
March 5, 2012
Incredible Journey: Surviving an Incurable Disease
“Couldn’t breathe, gasping for air,” is how Bobbie Sofia describes the first sign that something was wrong. In 2007, Bobbie Sofia and her husband, Sam, traveled to San Antonio, Texas from their home of almost forty years in Lake Havasu City, Arizona to attend their daughter, Ashley’s, graduation from Air Force Basic Training. While enjoying […]
Tags: 1136, 2272, 5252, 5279, 5333, amyloidosis, Bobbie Sofia, cardiac amyloidosis, Craig Reeder, CyBorD, D. Eric Steidley, heart failure
February 28, 2012
Mark McNeary: “A miracle of a different sort”
For Mark McNeary, a retired music industry executive, his miracle story began shortly after finishing Saturday morning chores at his ranch in Kingman, Ariz. Sudden, searing head pain and throat problems made it clear that he needed immediate medical attention. His wife, Julie, drove him 30 miles to the nearest emergency room at Kingman Regional […]
Tags: 2301, 5292, 5333, Arizona, Bert Vargas, Mayo Clinic, stroke, telemedicine, Telestroke
February 3, 2012
Living with Cancer: Blessings and Hope Abound
A diagnosis of cancer can be devastating. For Robert Hoopes, a facilities manager from Glendale, Ariz., the diagnosis hit home – twice. In 2006, Kara, his wife of more than three decades, discovered that she had advanced colon cancer. After a two year battle, she sadly passed away at the age of 54 leaving behind […]
Tags: 1136, 2246, 5239, 5275, 5279, 5333, Arizona, Cancer, clinical trials, Mayo Clinic, Patient Story, Robert Hoopes
October 27, 2011
Ricky Rinehart: Raising Funds for Cancer Research One Mile at a Time
As he biked 213 miles of desert between Yuma, Ariz., and Phoenix in temperatures above 90 degrees, Ricky Reinhart thought a lot about moving forward. Much the same as he did a year ago as he laid in a bed at Mayo Clinic Hospital recovering from surgery for esophageal cancer. To celebrate his “first birthday” […]
Tags: 1136, 3169, 4718, 5254, 5279, 5323, 5333, cardiothoracic surgery, esophageal cancer, esophagectomy, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix
October 21, 2011
A Family Member’s Point of View
By MakalaArce
By Lindsay Engelstad I was not a patient at the Mayo Clinic Hospital, but my mother was. Prior to her going into the hospital, I always hear people say “Go to the Mayo Clinic it is the best place to be if you are sick”. Yeah right, it is a hospital and all hospitals are the […]
Tags: 1136, 3640, 3719, 3723, 3739, 5252, 5279, 5333, Arabia, Arizona, breathing, Hodgkin's
October 18, 2011
Knowledge: A Powerful Tool in the Battle Against Breast Cancer
Tamieko, a 38 year old woman, was completely caught off guard when she was diagnosed with Stage I/II breast cancer in December 2010. After two years of observing suspicious changes in her breast that appeared normal on mammograms, she requested that her attending physician do a breast biopsy. The results shocked her and took her […]
Tags: 1136, 2375, 3640, 3719, 5250, 5279, 5309, 5333, Arizona, breast cancer, Deborah Bash, Donald Northfelt
October 17, 2011
Suzanne Vela: The Flu Shot Could Save Your Life
In mid-February, 2011, flu-like symptoms caused Suzanne Vela to leave work early to try to recover quickly from fatigue and a persistent cough. Several days of rest at home did not seem to improve her symptoms and Javier Vela, Suzanne’s husband, decided to take her to the Mayo Clinic Hospital Emergency department on February 14th. […]
Tags: 5280, 5281, 5311, 5333, acute respiratory distress syndrome, ARDS, Arizona, flu shot, influenza, influenza shot, Mayo Clinic, Patient Story