What began as a routine check for swelling quickly turned Randy Ramey's life upside down. When pneumonia and swelling were diagnosed as stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver, Randy, of Denton, Texas, struggled to understand how it was all connected. 

A series of visits with local specialists revealed a fatty liver disease called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH. For Randy, the diagnosis set off a cascade of life-or-death decisions that led his wife and him to Mayo Clinic, where he underwent a complex series of three lifesaving procedures, including a double coronary artery bypass surgery, liver transplant and, just months later, a kidney transplant. They found themselves navigating one health obstacle after another.

Randy is sharing his story to raise awareness during Donate Life Month.

Watch: 3 lifesaving surgeries and a second chance

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:47) is available for download at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"I was shocked. I mean, we didn't see that coming at all. It's right out of left field. You know, at that point, I wasn't physically sick. I was just swollen," says Randy.

When pneumonia and swelling became a diagnosis of stage 4 cirrhosis. Randy came to Mayo Clinic for a liver transplant evaluation. What doctors found made his situation far more urgent and far more complex.

"I went into the lab for a chemical stress test, but that's where they confirmed the two blockages. So what they ended up deciding, we're going to do two surgeries in one day. We're going to do your heart surgery — your double bypass — and we're going to do the liver. The worst I felt was the day before I got transplanted. The next morning when I woke up and had to do the walk, I still felt better than I did before the surgery," he says.

From the hospital window, Randy's wife, Elise, watched the mountains outside and saw their journey ahead — every peak, every valley — another procedure, another decision, another climb.

"We're going to have to climb every one of those mountain ranges," Elise says as she recalls their journey. "We're going to have to ascend and descend and ascend and descend every one of those mountain ranges."

"I'm getting rebuilt from the ground up," Randy says. "My kidney took off running, and it hasn't stopped. I don't know how you pay somebody for saving your life. I get emotional because you can't put it in words, but I've tried."

And with smiles as big as Texas, Randy and Elise are home after 27 weeks in Arizona. 

Related stories:

• From donation to Kilimanjaro: Living kidney donor defies limits (VIDEO)

The post 3 lifesaving surgeries and a second chance (VIDEO)  appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Both men are alive today thanks to an extremely rare and complex surgery – a triple-organ transplant, including a heart, liver and kidney simultaneously.

Watch: Rare transplant turns strangers into friends

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Tony's story

Tony had always considered himself a healthy guy. You'd often find him out on the basketball court, playing with family and friends or just shooting hoops by himself.

Then, at 50 years old, Tony had to stop playing basketball. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Over the next decade, Tony underwent one procedure after another. Still, his health continued to decline.

Doctors told Tony there was only one option left – a triple-organ transplant, including a heart, liver and kidney. The transplant is so rare and complex that it is performed at only a limited number of hospitals.

Tony turned to Mayo Clinic in Arizona, where he found hope and a friend who would become his inspiration.

Hope comes calling

In 2025, Tony was admitted to Mayo Clinic. On the day of his triple-organ transplant, just hours before his surgery, Tony got an unexpected phone call.

"You're going to be just fine. You've got the best doctors and nurses," said Doyle, who was speaking from firsthand experience. Doyle is Arizona's first patient to undergo a triple-organ transplant, including a heart, liver and kidney.

Doyle called Tony to offer support and encouragement.

"You're going to feel a hundred percent better than you do today. I hurt, but I could tell a difference immediately," said Doyle, calling from his home in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. In 2022, Doyle traveled with his wife Billie to Arizona to undergo the milestone triple-organ transplant.

The phone call was just what Tony needed to hear.

"It helped a lot talking to somebody who has gone through what I was going through," says Tony. "Every day I thought if Doyle did it, I can too. He was my inspiration."

Billie also spoke with Carrie, Tony's wife, to share her insight on being a caregiver. "She told me I could call her 24 hours a day," says Carrie. "I called her quite a bit. It was so helpful to speak with someone who had already been through this."

The families stayed in close contact throughout Tony's transplant journey.

Even though the two men had never met, Doyle says he didn't think twice about reaching out to Tony.

"Calling Tony was the least I could do to help Tony to understand what he's going to do and what he's got to do," says Doyle.

Mayo Clinic – a leader in triple-organ transplantation

Mayo Clinic also performs triple-organ transplants in Rochester, Minnesota.

As of February 2026, Mayo Clinic has performed 13 triple-organ transplants, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

In 2024, Mayo Clinic in Rochester performed a highly complex and rare triple transplant, including a heart, lungs and kidney.

The patient, Mike Loven, had battled serious health problems since childhood. He had three open-heart surgeries by the time he reached his teens. Mike lives in Coon Rapids, Minnesota with his wife and two daughters.

Like Tony and Doyle, doctors told Mike a triple-organ transplant was his only chance for survival.

The triple transplant was a success. "I'm feeling better than I have in years," says Mike. "I'm walking up to two miles on the treadmill. I'm back to working. I feel great."

Strangers no more

It's been nine months since Tony's triple-organ transplant. Doctors still closely monitor his progress, but he's back at home, enjoying time with family and friends.

Tony is even slowly making his way back to the basketball court.

Doyle and Billie made a special trip Arizona to meet their new friends in person.

"We share such a special bond," says Billie. "I know we'll be friends forever."

Though Mike has not met Tony and Doyle, the three begin each new day the same way – with deep gratitude for the gift of life.

"I hear my heart beat everyday and remember my donor, I'm so grateful. Thank you to my donor and donor family," says Tony. "Every day is a miracle day."

Related stories:

• Harnessing the power of innovation and a patient's will to survive
• A rare cancer. A rare weapon. Curtis Jackson's inspiring story of survival
• Breathing easy thanks to the gift of life and a new lung transplant program at Mayo Clinic in Arizona
• Breaking the silence: Total larynx transplant on a patient with active cancer
• Bridging the transplant gap for indigenous healthcare

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Precision medicine is rapidly transforming modern healthcare. It's a personalized approach that tailors prevention and treatment to each individual — moving beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all model.

Colorectal cancer is one area where precision medicine is reshaping the standard of care for patients like Eric Minnesota. 

At 56, Eric was training for an Ironman triathlon when he got a devastating diagnosis — stage 3 colorectal cancer. 

Eric is sharing his inspiring story to raise awareness for National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Watch: Transforming colon cancer care through precision medicine

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (3:10) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic" – Read the script.

Man on a mission

Eric has been an athlete his whole life. He's a soft-spoken man with a gentle demeanor and a never-give-up attitude that defines everything he does. "I've competitively raced mountain bikes for the last 20 years," says Eric. "I'm an outdoors person...hiking, fishing, camping, anything outdoors is what I really enjoy."

Eric's dream has long been to compete in an Ironman triathlon, one of the toughest endurance events in the world. Competitors must complete a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run. That's 140.6 miles in one day.

"From a health point of view, I thought I was nearly at the top of my game based on my age," says the Arizona man. "I've been healthy my whole life — no surgeries, no broken bones...I've never taken a sick day from work in my 25-year career."

Toughest challenge yet

Eric was in the midst of training for Ironman Arizona. All was going as planned. Then one day, Eric began having stomach pain. He went to his doctor who delivered a diagnosis Eric never expected.

"He discovered a significant mass. He relayed to me that I should see a colorectal surgeon as soon as possible to have it evaluated and find out what the next steps should be," recalls Eric. Soon after, Eric got his official diagnosis — stage 3 colorectal cancer.

"The plan was to remove my colon and replace it with an ostomy," says Eric. An ostomy is a surgically created opening in the abdomen that allows waste to exit the body into a bag. It may be needed after colon surgery so the body can eliminate waste.

In preparation for surgery, Eric and his wife, Paula, turned to Mayo Clinic in Arizona. "The doctor at Mayo said a team of specialists would convene as a group to review my case. Mayo was quicker than I ever imagined. The following week they called me to discuss my treatment plan," says Eric.

Hope through innovation

Mayo Clinic's treatment plan included more than surgery as an option. The team explained that by using precision medicine, they were able to determine Eric was a candidate for a nonsurgical approach to treatment called immunotherapy.

"By performing genomic sequencing on the patient's blood and the tumor, we were able to identify a precision treatment approach, including immune therapies, that can sometimes allow a patient to avoid the need for complex and life-altering surgeries," says Dr. Jewel Samadder, a gastroenterologist and cancer geneticist with Mayo Clinic's Early Onset and Hereditary Gastrointestinal Cancers Program.

Immunotherapy works by using the body's own immune system to fight the cancer. The nonsurgical treatment is delivered in a series of treatments by IV infusion. "The treatment is surprisingly easy. To be truthful I feel guilty based on the type of treatment that I had for my cancer versus what other individuals go through. It's just a simple infusion that takes less than an hour start to finish," explains Eric.

Crossing the finish line

Eric crossed the finish line of his immunotherapy treatment in six months. The results were a success. A colonoscopy following treatment showed the cancer was gone. "I won the lottery," says Eric. "The stars aligned with my markers and the care team had the expertise. It was incredible. It was all a perfect fit."

"This is a perfect example of why patients come to Mayo Clinic and see multiple physicians in our multidisciplinary cancer clinics and our early-onset program so that we can understand the cause of their cancer, determine the best treatment approaches, including clinical trials, and sometimes avoid complicated life-altering surgeries when possible, as in this patient's case," says Dr. Samadder.

"As soon as we heard about immunotherapy, we had to try it. This aligned with his goals. I'm just over the moon," says Paula.

Eric was able to keep working and training throughout his treatment. He says his only side effect was mild fatigue. "We spent a lot of time together as a family. Just being able to maintain that quality of life through the treatment was irreplaceable. You just can't put a price on that," says Eric.

"We are so grateful to everyone at Mayo Clinic, especially our oncologist Dr. Christina Wu," says Paula. "I would be lost without her. Thanks to Dr. Wu, I have my husband here with me today."

Celebrating life and love

Eric is back to working on his dream of one day becoming an Ironman triathlete. "Giving up is never an option," says Eric. "You have to turn on the switch, and keep going."

As Eric and Paula celebrate life, they are also celebrating their love. "We just had our 32nd wedding anniversary. These moments, these struggles together, it all has just made us stronger." says Eric. "I'm grateful for Mayo, for everything. I came out a better person."

Related stories:

• Eric and Paula Minnesota with a special message to Mayo Clinic
• Mayo Clinic Minute: Inside a colonoscopy
• Mayo Clinic Minute: Warning signs of colorectal cancer in younger adults

The post Transforming colon cancer care through precision medicine (VIDEO) appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Randy McKnight makes award-winning barbecue, runs marathons and owns a small business. He puts his heart into everything he does — just not the heart he had when he was born.

Randy was among the first 10 heart transplant recipients at Mayo Clinic in Florida, a program that is now marking its 25^th anniversary.

Watch: 'Live for today': Looking at life nearly 25 years after a heart transplant

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video pkg (2:14) is in the downloads at the end of the post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

"It was in the summer of 1998," Randy says. "We were having a lot of fires in Jacksonville along I-95, and (I was) having a hard time breathing."

Randy was 35 years old when his care team in Jacksonville, Florida, discovered he had an enlarged heart.

"I was in full-blown heart failure with fluid in my lungs," Randy says. "(My doctor) basically said, 'You need a heart transplant.' I couldn't believe it."

Randy was placed on the transplant list in Rochester, Minnesota, and spent almost three years traveling back and forth for appointments, waiting for a heart.

"My son must have been 8 or 9, and I knew that I had to survive to help raise him and support him," Randy says.

Then, in 2001, Mayo Clinic started a heart transplant program in Jacksonville, which gave Randy a chance to be closer to home.

"I met Dr. Yip when the program first started, and from day one, he and I have connected," Randy says. "I've always felt like I've had a personal connection with the team here, and it just made the whole process so much easier."

After listing and waiting several more months, the day finally came.

"I had my heart transplant on May 27, 2002," Randy says.

"You have someone who is literally on death's doorstep to be able to live a full, healthy life, back to things that they want to do, going back to work, raising their children, going to graduations, going to weddings, raising their grandchildren. That is satisfying," says Dr. Daniel Yip, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist who helped start the heart transplant program in Florida.

Over the last quarter century, Dr. Yip has seen progress in heart transplantation — from advances in medications to new options for patients with the greatest need.

"Being able to expand the donor pool using organs that, in the past, we would say maybe we shouldn't think about using them, but knowing with time, with research, with innovation, with technology, to be able to use these organs," Dr. Yip says. "And now we're able to go a lot farther, even across the country, to be able to get the right heart for a patient. I think that's the biggest thing — to be able to serve patients who need our help."

According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), nearly 4,000 people in the U.S. are waiting for a heart transplant.

Randy is grateful for the years he's been given, and he's made it his mission to help others.

"My quality of life before transplant — being sick, being limited — was really hard because I'm go, go all the time," Randy says. "Just learn to live each day for today, live every day for today and appreciate life."

The post (VIDEO) ‘Live for today’: Looking at life nearly 25 years after a heart transplant appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Barbara Brown was working in New York City when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred. Exposure to toxins led to years of struggling to breathe and searching for answers.

Barbara's journey led her to Mayo Clinic and, ultimately, a life-changing double-lung transplant. With renewed strength, Barbara shares what drives her to educate others about transplants.

Watch: Double-lung transplant inspires mom to educate and support others

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"I was meeting my girlfriends for breakfast," Barbara says. "She actually worked in the World Trade Center. When the actual plane hit the tower, I wasn't right up on the towers, but I was where you could see it."

What followed that day would change Barbara's health and life forever.

"All of this stuff that was in your lungs," Barbara recalls.

Over time, Brown started to notice changes in her health. Then, a pivotal moment in 2006 while being a mom to an active 2-year-old girl.

"(My daughter) jumped up in my arms, and I kind of fell backward. And I fell down, and I couldn't hold her," Barbara says. "That was the first big thing with my lungs."

Barbara was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, where inflammation and scarring make it difficult to breathe. Doctors explained that someday she would need a lung transplant.

"I looked at this little girl that I had, and I said, 'You know, if I'm going to fight, I'm going to fight for her, you know,'" Barbara says. "And so that's what I chose to do."

Barbara spent much of the next decade searching for a transplant program that would be the right fit. She traveled across the country speaking with care teams and taking evaluations — all while her lungs grew weaker. Then, Mayo Clinic entered her life.

"Barbara came through our doors, referred to us from an outside provider, with a disease that was fairly advanced," Dr. Tathagat Narula, a Mayo Clinic transplant pulmonologist, says. "She was on a lot of oxygen, very, very sick."

After qualifying for a double-lung transplant and spending time on the waiting list, Barbara got the call in April 2017.

"It's the scariest thing in the world because now you're looking at everybody and you're like, 'This is it!'" Barbara says. "'This is really it!'"

Recovery would be long, but after physical therapy to regain her strength, Barbara was breathing without assistance and ready to pick up where her life had paused. The journey has also inspired her to share her story and dispel misconceptions about transplant.

"I decided that I was going to really write about my experience," Barbara says. "If I can do something to get the information out there, and I said, 'I'm going to maybe attempt at it this way.'"

"In Barbara's case, she has had this opportunity to see her daughter grow up, go to college," Dr. Narula says. " Barbara is writing a book to share her journey, to share her story with the wider audience. What more can you ask for?"

Eight and a half years after transplant, she's happy and excited for her next chapter.

"Do I look like someone who's been through a double-lung transplant? No, but what does someone look like? If someone says I look like a happy person, then that's what I would prefer looking like," Barbara says.

Related stories:

• Mayo Clinic’s transplant center in Florida performs 10,000th
• Expert alert: 5 reasons more diverse organ donors are needed

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Paul Rhee suffered a stroke that resulted in weakness and spasticity in his right arm and leg. His son, Dr. Peter Rhee, spent the next decade perfecting his research that led to the intricate hand nerve surgery that restored his father’s mobility and function.

When Paul Rhee had a stroke in 2015, it changed everything. He lost movement in his arm, endured painful spasms, and withdrew from daily life because of the unwanted attention his bent arm caused. Simple joys — social gatherings, attending church, spending time with family, holding a fishing rod — slipped away. 

For his son, Peter Rhee, D.O., M.S., a hand and microvascular surgeon at Mayo Clinic, the experience was both deeply personal and professionally motivating. “Fishing was something my dad and I always dreamed of sharing across generations. After his stroke, even that was gone,” Dr. Rhee recalls. “It took away part of who he was.”

Fishing was more than just a pastime. For Dr. Rhee, it was symbolic of family and continuity. 

That loss became a powerful motivator. Dr. Rhee was determined not just to help his father, but to develop a treatment that could restore hope for patients everywhere who live with spasticity following brain or spinal cord injury.

The Mayo difference

What Dr. Rhee achieved could only happen at Mayo Clinic.

Spasticity occurs when the brain or spinal cord can’t properly control signals to the muscles, causing them to contract uncontrollably and often creating deforming postures. Traditional treatments for spasticity focus on surgically altering the muscles, but Dr. Rhee identified the nerves as the root problem. 

Developing a new surgical procedure was no small task. It required years of research and the support of a broad, multidisciplinary team at Mayo Clinic. Physical medicine physicians, anesthesiologists, rehabilitation specialists, therapists, and scientists in the Motion Analysis Lab all played crucial roles in bringing Dr. Rhee’s vision to life.

“I don’t think it would have been possible, even if I had the will as the surgeon, without the supporting cast, the resources, the support — everyone buying into the fact that no matter how complicated it is, we can do it together,” Dr. Rhee explains.

Mayo’s Motion Analysis Lab is nationally accredited and one of fewer than 20 labs of its kind in the U.S., it is also one of only two that evaluates both children and adults. Here, patients aren’t studied through static images like X-rays or MRIs. Instead, they are evaluated while moving, allowing experts to see exactly when and how their muscles misfire or fail.

Patients often arrive without a clear diagnosis, only knowing that something isn’t working the way it should. Staff in the lab spend three to four hours with each patient, using advanced motion capture and electromyography (EMG) sensors to measure how the brain communicates with the muscles. Some sensors are placed on the skin for larger muscles, while fine wire electrodes, as thin as a human hair, are used for deeper or smaller muscles. These tools provide precise, real-time data about how the muscles respond to nerve signals.

“By using dynamic EMG, we can see how the muscles are firing compared to how the arm moves,” says Dr. Rhee. “That helps us plan the surgery with a level of accuracy that isn’t possible in most academic medical centers in the world. With every patient visit, I had more ideas about how to treat patients like my father,” he says.  

This level of integration between science and surgery is rare. “The only way you can get this kind of information is through the collaboration of a physician and a scientist,” says Kenton Kaufman, Ph.D., Director, Motion Analysis Lab. “We can see how the upper extremity muscles are functioning while the person is moving. And these types of studies are not done anywhere else but at Mayo Clinic.”

The Motion Analysis Lab doesn’t just inform surgery; the team collects data during surgeries themselves. The lab is able to study human muscle physiology in-vivo, something not done anywhere else in the world. This research has already led to publications in top-ranked medical journals and continues to advance the understanding of spasticity and its treatment.

“Dr. Rhee’s procedures not only restore function, but also quality of life,” adds Dr. Kaufman. “Patients sense the hope that they’ll have a better outcome, because of the time we take to gather the data needed to achieve the best possible surgical results.”

From a single patient to nationwide impact

Dr. Rhee, the sole physician qualified to conduct Paul Rhee's surgery, obtained institutional authorization following a thorough review by the Mayo Clinic Ethics Committee. In December 2022, and again in March 2023, Dr. Rhee performed his new surgical procedure on his father. 

The results were profound. Paul regained movement in his arm, was able to relax muscles that had been locked in place for years, and found the confidence to reengage with his community. Most importantly, he could once again hold a fishing rod — a milestone that symbolized freedom and independence.

“After the surgery, he no longer feared people staring at his arm and was able to reconnect with his community,” Dr. Rhee reflects.

The same procedure is now changing lives for patients across the country. Dr. Rhee and his team perform two to three of these complex upper extremity reconstructions each week, often lasting up to 14 hours and involving the entire limb from shoulder to fingertip. Mayo Clinic is one of fewer than 10 centers nationwide where this type of surgery is available, and the team performs more spasticity-related reconstructions than any other center in the U.S.

Dr. Rhee also trains fellows in hand and reconstructive surgery, ensuring that the next generation of surgeons can carry this innovation forward. Over the past six years, nearly 30 physicians have learned the procedure under his guidance. “Following the Mayo brothers’ tradition of sharing expertise, we are expanding access to this surgery worldwide,” he notes.

His colleague, Kitty Wu, M.D., who trained under Dr. Rhee and joined Mayo’s staff in 2023, is expanding the technique further to treat lower extremity spasticity. “Our procedures are restoring hope for patients who thought they had forever lost the function of their limb,” Dr. Wu says. “In some cases, the procedure even prevents permanent disability.”

“Dr. Wu trained at Mayo and expanded on our unique techniques. Together, we offer comprehensive upper and lower extremity reconstructive surgery to adult and pediatric patients,” Dr. Rhee adds.  

For Dr. Rhee, the lessons extend beyond the operating room. “I ask patients what they want to do most that they can’t do now. For many in the Midwest, it’s fishing — something close to my heart as well. When I can say, ‘I believe we can get you back to fishing, holding a grandchild or simply moving without pain’ it builds trust and hope. And that’s what Mayo is about.”

Category of one

What happened for Paul Rhee is much more than a single success story. It represents the best of Mayo Clinic: a seamless integration of practice, research and education; teams of experts working together; and a patient-first mission that drives innovation.

Thanks to this pioneering work, Paul can once again fish with his son and grandchildren, an experience the family thought was lost forever. Thanks to the pioneering spirit of our staff, stories like Paul’s remind us why Mayo Clinic remains a place where innovation, teamwork and patient-first care change lives every day.

Watch: Dr. Rhee and his father before and after the surgery

 Journalists: Video (2:17) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network."

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For the first time at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, surgeons have performed a robotic kidney transplant — a minimally invasive procedure designed to ease recovery with smaller incisions, less pain and reduced risk of wound complications.

That innovation came at a critical moment for 74-year-old Joe Harris. His daughter-in-law, Brooke, made the extraordinary decision to donate her kidney, and together with this new surgical approach, it gave Joe not just better health, but a renewed future.

Watch: Robotic kidney transplant, when innovation meets family

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"You're a match."

The words Brooke Harris was waiting for. Now, to share the news with her father-in-law.

Joe Harris had been on a kidney transplant waiting list since 2016. Worried about his age and ability to care for his wife, he was eager to find a match.

"I just was afraid that things were going to run out and I would get to a point that I could only be on dialysis, and then I wouldn't be, wouldn't be able to take care of her," says Joe.

Multiple setbacks in finding a kidney donor deeply affected Brooke.

"As soon as we found out and they told us that that second person didn't work, it was just this deep knowing in me that I need to test and find out. I didn't know why," she says.

And that test was a match. Dr. Michelle Nguyen, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, explains how direct donation works.

"If you have a friend or a loved one who wants to donate a kidney to you, and you match them by blood type and by tissue typing, they can donate their kidney directly to you," says Dr. Nguyen.

Not only would Joe get the organ he had been hoping for, but he'd also be the first patient at Mayo Clinic in Arizona to undergo robotic kidney transplantation.

"I went, 'Good, let's do it.' I had no hesitancy about the robotic thing. The more I learned about it, the more I thought this is going to be kind of cool," Joe says.

"In patients who meet criteria to receive robotic kidney transplant, the goal is that it will provide improved outcomes for the patient — so smaller incisions, less pain, faster recovery, faster return to work or faster return to their day-to-day life," says Dr. Nguyen.

Robotic kidney surgery doesn't replace the surgeon. Instead, it gives surgeons advanced tools to operate, as Dr. Nitin Katariya, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, explains.

"It is a console that has four arms that can be placed near the bed and then a separate sort of console where you sit apart from the patient, where you can control the arms. And these arms articulate in ways you can control the camera, and you have multiple different instruments that you can switch out to navigate the anatomy and perform your operation," he says.

Dr. Nguyen adds, "One important thing to note about robotic surgery, using this platform, is that at no point in time is the robot making any movements without the surgeons maneuvering the instruments."

For Brooke, she says the experience was easier than she thought.

"Honestly, even going back to the surgery, I have to say it's definitely not as scary as it seems. And recovery was a lot easier than I had anticipated," says Brooke.

And for Joe, his gratitude for his daughter-in-law's selfless donation is hard to put into words.

"How do you thank somebody for that? I don't know. It's so humbling. That's been hard for me, in a way, but I'm grateful. And she knows how I care about her," says Joe.

Related posts:

• Mayo Clinic Minute: What to expect as a living kidney donor
• A living legacy: Donors who give hope and healing

The post (VIDEO) Robotic kidney transplant, when innovation meets family appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Tom Heisler was on his last legs when he arrived at Mayo Clinic in September 2024. He had a dire and complicated medical history, and his health was rapidly declining. After nine months of misdiagnoses and unsuccessful treatments, he received the correct diagnosis and a new lease on life in just nine days at Mayo Clinic. 

Tom Heisler was in good health. The retired psychologist lived an active, vibrant lifestyle — regularly playing golf, writing poems and keeping up with his many other hobbies. But when he contracted COVID-19 for the third time in November 2023, his health began to decline.

He had a persistent cough that wouldn't go away despite multiple courses of antibiotics, and he began to experience additional symptoms: significant weight loss, weakness, loss of appetite, blurred vision and gait disturbance, among others, which continued to worsen. 

Over a nine-month span, Tom saw several specialists in his hometown. He received multiple diagnoses: bacterial pneumonia, crypto-organizing pneumonia and cryptococcal pneumonia — all treated without success. His symptoms continued to worsen, and he developed swelling near his salivary glands. 

His daughters, Bess and Lauri, and his four grandchildren reluctantly refrained from visiting Tom because they didn't want to risk spreading germs that could make him sick. When Bess visited him in June after not seeing him for some time, she was alarmed at how unwell he was. 

"I didn't really know how serious it was until I saw him. His eyes were completely glassy. He had lost a lot of hair and weight. He could barely walk, and his voice was getting weaker and weaker," says Bess. "It was really scary seeing my dad, who's always vibrant and full of life, in such a state of despair."

Bess knew her dad desperately needed help. She asked her colleagues for recommendations, and Mayo Clinic was frequently suggested. 

After another CT scan in August showed his treatment wasn't working, Tom was ready to visit Mayo Clinic. On Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, Tom, Bess, and Lauri flew from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Rochester, Minnesota, desperate for answers and hope.

"I thought he was dying," says Bess. "Before we left for Mayo Clinic, I told Dad, 'I don’t know what's going to happen and what we're going to find or not find, but I love you and I'm honored to be your daughter.'" 

Reassessing assumptions and starting from scratch

Over the next week, other diseases had to be ruled out: lupus, myeloma and other forms of cancer, and cryptococcal pneumonia. On Monday morning, Tom and his family advocates had their first appointment at Mayo Clinic with Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious diseases specialist. Dr. Tosh suspected that Tom's diagnosis of cryptococcal pneumonia was incorrect. 

"In situations where people have cryptococcal lung infection with relatively normal immune systems and no evidence of meningitis, I would have expected the oral antifungal medicine he was given to have been very effective. However, despite several months of being on the right antifungal medicine, he was feeling worse, the lesions in his lungs were progressing, and he was developing kidney injury," says Dr. Tosh. "Rather than assuming that all his symptoms were related to cryptococcal disease not responsive to antifungal therapy, I thought that, at that point, it was more likely that the cryptococcus was just a bystander in his lung not causing any disease and that his symptoms were being caused by something else entirely. It was time to reassess our assumptions and start from scratch."

Tom then had appointments with Dr. Nadine Abdallah, a Mayo Clinic hematologist/oncologist, and Dr. Wigdan Farah, a Mayo Clinic pulmonologist. They reviewed Tom's symptoms and history, and then ordered a series of tests to narrow the diagnosis. Dr. Abdallah wondered if Tom might have an underlying autoimmune disease.

"In the outside world, you meet with a specialist and they'll give you a diagnosis within 15 minutes, and then you have to wait three or four months to see if the treatment for that diagnosis works. At Mayo Clinic, you see multiple doctors a day and receive countless tests because they don't want to give you a diagnosis until they are very satisfied and confident it's the right one," says Tom. "Everything works seamlessly and rapidly. Mayo's system is brilliant and, I think, as pivotal as the quality of the doctors."

A diagnosis in the details

On day four of Tom's Mayo Clinic journey, he met with Dr. Wisit Cheungpasitporn, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist. During his appointment, Tom mentioned that he felt much better after receiving a steroid for his gout attack. 

"If Tom was taking the steroid at the time of his suspected lung infection, the steroid should have made him feel worse, not better," says Dr. Cheungpasitporn. "With that small but important detail, and given the multi-organ involvement, progressive nature and lack of full response to antifungal therapy, IgG4-related disease (immunoglobulin G4-related disease) became a strong consideration."

IgG4 is a type of antibody that helps regulate the immune system. However, in some people, IgG4 becomes overactive and starts attacking healthy organs, causing inflammation and fibrosis (scarring). This leads to IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), which can affect different parts of the body, such as the lungs, kidneys, pancreas, bile ducts, salivary glands and lymph nodes. If left untreated, it can cause organ damage over time.

IgG4-related disease is tricky to diagnose because it mimics infections, cancer and other autoimmune diseases. A combination of factors is considered, including symptoms, blood tests, imaging such as CT, MRI or PET scans, and a tissue biopsy, which is the most definitive test in diagnosing the disease. 

"When Dr. Cheungpasitporn said IgG4 might be causing all my symptoms, I almost levitated off the couch. My family and I were close to tears," says Tom. 

Tom had a bronchoscopy scheduled the following Monday. Should they wait for the results of the bronchoscopy and lymph node biopsy, or move forward with a kidney biopsy?

"Given how his symptoms were progressing, I had a detailed conversation with Tom and his family about the risks and benefits of each approach. They put their trust in me, and we moved forward with the kidney biopsy," says Dr. Cheungpasitporn.

The renal pathology team was instrumental in confirming Tom's diagnosis of IgG4-RD. 

"Mayo Clinic has the very best kidney pathologists. Dr. Sanjeev Sethi helped interpret the kidney biopsy finding, ruling out other conditions. Dr. Loren Herrera Hernandez played a key role in reviewing the pathology and ensuring an accurate diagnosis. Dr. Lynn Cornell, Mayo's IgG4 expert, identified the classic features of IgG4-related kidney disease on the biopsy," says Dr. Cheungpasitporn. 

Answers, a plan of care and hope

During Tom's bronchoscopy, his family received a phone call from Dr. Cheungpasitporn confirming the IgG4 diagnosis. 

"Delighted doesn't even come close to describing what we were feeling. There is no doubt in my mind that my dad would have passed away before Christmas had he not been seen at Mayo Clinic," says Bess. "We are forever grateful and are extraordinarily lucky that we walked away with answers, a plan of care and hope."

IgG4-RD responds well to treatment when caught early. Tom immediately began treatment, and within weeks, he made a complete transformation.  

"When my kidneys and lungs improved, when the blurring in my right eye substantially dissipated, when I gained my weight back and reclaimed my energy, and when my blood markers looked so much better, I'm not sure who was more excited and proud — Dr. Cheungpasitporn or my family and I," says Tom. 

It has been nearly one year since Tom's diagnosis. He is feeling great and is back to doing the things he enjoys. 

"Any doctor can treat a condition. It's the diagnosis that counts, and Mayo Clinic is the best diagnostic place in the world," says Tom. "If you don’t know what's going on and your treatment isn't working, you need to go to Mayo Clinic."

Fiercely investigative and integrative

Tom's follow-up care is coordinated through his local physician, and Dr. Cheungpasitporn continues to monitor Tom's response to treatment and the results of his blood work every two weeks. 

"My care coordination works beautifully. Any time I have a question for Dr. Cheungpasitporn, he responds within a day or so, which, given the load of patients in our modern medical delivery system, might be considered nothing short of a miracle," says Tom.

Reflecting on their whirlwind nine days at Mayo Clinic, Bess says it was a moving experience full of memories that they will have forever. 

"Every single doctor, nurse, secretary and scheduler was absolutely lovely," says Bess. "We were made to feel valued and part of their fiercely investigative and integrative team."

Most importantly, Tom has his life back. 

"I can say, without reservation, that Dr. Cheungpasitporn saved my life," says Tom. "In the august and ancient tradition of healers, he is one."

Watch: Leaving Mayo Clinic with answers, a plan of care, hope

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After a career dedicated to caring for patients with cancer, Nancy Drourr expected retirement to be the start of a new chapter. However, when troubling health issues emerged, she had to put her plans on hold.

Nancy turned to Mayo Clinic, where a care team uncovered a rare and complex disease called sarcoidosis. Now, with answers, Nancy has resumed the pursuit of a lifelong goal and wrote a letter to her care team thanking them for giving her hope.

Watch: Science of angels': A mother's thankful letter for team who diagnosed rare disease

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"I invested in a very rewarding career taking care of cancer patients. I believed that a big part of my life included service above self," says Nancy.

After retiring in 2022, Nancy noticed changes in her health. A lingering rash, fatigue and short-term memory challenges led to two years of tests and appointments with physicians near her home in Tampa, Florida.

"Being a patient was a new position for me," says Nancy. "I took care of patients, and I take care of people. I felt I needed more support than what I was getting."

When bloodwork in 2024 suggested Nancy may have a severe kidney condition, she turned to Mayo Clinic.

"When I saw the MRI and the results, there was a concerning finding, which was bone lesions and spleen lesions, and to the radiologist, it was concerning," says Dr. Fouad Chebib, a Mayo Clinic nephrologist. "We needed to figure out in a timely manner the source, if it's cancer, but otherwise it could be an infectious process or other autoimmune disease."

Sarcoidosis diagnosis

A biopsy ruled out cancer, but did confirm a diagnosis of sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that affects approximately 200,000 people in the U.S.

"In the case of Nancy, it was quite severe with multiple organs being involved, from skin to bone to spleen to many other organs, and it significantly affected her life," says Dr. Chebib.

Treatment plan

While there is no known cure for sarcoidosis, Nancy's care team, including experts in rheumatology, oncology, infectious diseases and other areas, developed a treatment plan to manage her disease.

"It was within my power now to navigate this disease and not give up on the things that brought me such joy in this life," says Nancy. "Dr. Chebib was my angel, and he made sure I had everything I needed to get answers."

"I'm passionate about making sure that the disease does not dictate the lives of my patients, getting to the bottom of the problem, and making sure we get the answers to things that potentially have not been answered elsewhere," says Dr. Chebib.

Nancy receives weekly treatment and regular follow-ups to measure progress. She's also given more thought to her textile design business. The dream influenced by her grandmother decades ago was put on hold to focus on her health. 

Nancy's journey also inspired her to write a letter to her care team titled "The Science of Angels," in which she shares her gratitude for the diagnosis and treatment options.

"I will forever remember how deeply the science of angels impacted my life and those of my loving sons," Nancy reads. "Thank you for instilling hope and a medical path forward in the treatment of my rare and complex disease."

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Before the sun rises at his home near Orlando, Florida, Rakesh Parekh, M.D., is already making the most of the day. He reviews patient notes and exercises before joining his wife, Tejal Parekh, in preparing their children for school. Time means a great deal to Dr. Parekh.

In 2020, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after muscle weakness began to affect his movement. ALS is a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Worsening over time, ALS affects control of the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe.

Watch: Dr. Rakesh Parekh's story

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"You get this diagnosis, and, you know, within three to five years, you're no longer," says Dr. Parekh.

He was familiar with the disease long before his own diagnosis.

"My father lived with ALS," says Dr. Parekh. "I know time is of the essence."

Initially working with a care team closer to home, Tejal and Dr. Parekh were determined to find a way forward to preserve his quality of life and possibly help others, including their children, who have a chance of inheriting the gene mutation. The couple began messaging physicians, researchers and friends around the world. That's when they learned about the work of Dr. Bjorn Oskarsson, a Mayo Clinic neurologist.

"Dr. Oskarsson was recommended to us by a friend, and it was like finding a diamond in the rough," says Tejal Parekh.

A personalized approach

Dr. Oskarsson and colleagues at Mayo Clinic have spent their careers looking for answers and options for people diagnosed with ALS. A multidisciplinary care team met with Dr. Parekh in May 2021 and began tests to determine the best way forward.

"We worked with our outside partner to develop an individualized treatment made just for him," says Dr. Oskarsson.

The therapy aims to stop protein production by targeting the gene mutation and halting the progression of the disease. After nearly two years of testing and preparations, Dr. Parekh's first treatment was an injection in his spine in April 2024.

"He is the first person in the world to have received this treatment," says Dr. Oskarsson.

He would repeat the trip from Orlando to Jacksonville for the next two months, then placed on a three-month dosage.

"More than just ourselves, this would be a step forward for all the other people getting diagnosed with ALS; it would be something for them, hope," says Tejal.

One year after treatment started, the results are exciting to the Parekhs and Dr. Oskarsson.

"This is something that is truly new, and one day we will get there for everyone," says Dr. Oskarsson. "And when that happens, there's nothing that compares. It's a beautiful thing."

Back home, Dr. Parekh reflects on how this treatment has changed his outlook. His 25 years working in healthcare did not prepare him for what it would be like to receive care, let alone a therapy that may benefit his children one day.

"Not only has it made an impact on our lives, but honestly, it's made an impact on the way I practice because I realize now what patients need beyond healthcare," says Dr. Parekh.

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