April 2, 2014
Most 13-year-old girls wouldn’t see having a scar down the middle of their chests as cool. Lola Montilla, however, is not your average 13-year-old girl. When she looks at the scar on her chest from the surgery she had at Mayo Clinic to repair the Ebstein’s anomaly heart defect she was born with, she says […]
Tags: Atrial Septum Defect, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular surgery, Dr. Joseph Dearani, Ebstein's Anomaly, Heart & Heart Surgery, Patient Story
May 2, 2011
A Marathon of Another Kind: Kidney Dialysis for 13 Months
By Lynn Closway
It was the summer of 2008, and Nichole Rushton was primed and ready to run 26.2 miles – a marathon – something she had accomplished with relative ease twice before. At age 28, she well could have invented the concept of “multitasking,” keeping physically active, raising two kids and being a devoted wife to her husband, […]
Tags: 3786, 5291, 5324, 5333, acute kidney failure, Arizona, blood clot, Depression, dialysis, diary, Heart & Heart Surgery, Kidney Exchange Program
February 18, 2011
By MakalaArce
Photo: Daniela, pictured top left, enjoys time with her brothers and sister at our home in Ecuador after her procedure at Mayo Clinic. Written by her parents, Juan and Victoria (Ecuador): My wife Victoria has always believed in miracles. I also believe in miracles, but I thought they only happened to somebody else, not us. […]
Tags: 2709, 5252, 5306, 5335, 5336, Allison Cabalka, Cardiology, Clínica Mayo, Daniela, Dr. Jack, Ecuador, Harold Burkhart
February 3, 2011
By MakalaArce
Written by heart attack survivor Susan Cardelli: Just last week was the 10th Anniversary of my heart attack—January 25, 2001—or as the medical community would call it “A Cardiac Event”. Whenever I hear it referred to as a “cardiac event”, I always picture myself walking down the red carpet, dressed in a sequined hospital gown, […]
Tags: 5252, 5334, attack, cardiac event, Cardiology, Heart & Heart Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Susan Cardelli, Woman, WomenHeart
September 22, 2010
Naomi Atrubin, American Heart Association Heart and Stroke Hero winner award
By CSMMayo
Naomi Atrubin of Rochester, Minnesota, is a two-time heart attack survivor. Not only is she a survivor, but she is also an active volunteer in the community, giving back to others through educating people she meets about heart disease. One of Naomi’s volunteer interests is participating in Mayo Clinic’s One Voice patient/family advisory council for […]
Tags: 5252, 5334, Cardiology, Heart & Heart Surgery, Patient Story
December 18, 2009
Michigan heart patient counting blessings
By CSMMayo
This story was submitted by Ron Reffitt Jr. In this photo, I’m holding my first grandson, Blake, born this summer to my daughter, Jennifer, behind me, and her husband, Brandon. My sons, Cody and Ron, are on the other side of me. The smile on my face says it all — how happy and grateful […]
Tags: 3640, 3719, 3723, 5251, 5252, 5335, Cancer, Cardiology, Heart & Heart Surgery, Patient Story
December 17, 2009
Ah, the holidays a time when most people have added chaos in their lives. Between stressing over finances and the best gifts to buy, fighting traffic at the mall and packing the calendar with parties, it can be the complete opposite of comfort and joy. As a result, the holidays can take a toll on health problems, […]
Tags: alcohol, Heart & Heart Surgery, heart attack, holiday, stroke
December 1, 2009
Mike’s Mechanical Aortic Valve
By Lee Aase
Editor’s Note: Mike from the Minneapolis area sent us this message on the day after Thanksgiving, as he wanted to share his gratitude for the care he received at Mayo Clinic earlier this year. His story is below; here are options for how you can share your story. Hello my name is Mike, and in […]
Tags: 1490, 4173, 5141, 5253, 5335, aortic valve, bicuspid aortic valve, Cardiac surgery, Cardiology, Hartzell Schaff, Heart & Heart Surgery, Mayo Clinic
May 9, 2009
By Traci Klein
As an 8-year-old girl from Michigan was headed into surgery for a heart transplant, she asked Mike Ackerman — a pediatric cardiology fellow at Mayo who was part of her care team — if she was going to live. Dr. Ackerman said, “Of course you’re going to live, and I’m going to dance with you […]
Tags: 3782, 5251, 5252, 5306, 5335, Cardiology, Heart & Heart Surgery, Heart transplant, Martha Grogan, Michael Ackerman, Prom, Sefani Pentiuk