Sharing Mayo Clinic - June 2012 Archives

I wish I knew more ways to say, “Thank you”. I was given not just a second chance at life, but also a life with ...

Many years ago, I injured my right wrist while working for a previous employer.  At the time, I was told that I had a small cartilage tear.  I wore a splint for a couple of months, and I had a cortisone injection.  I didn’t have any additional problems with the wrist until about a year and a half ago.  I began to notice pain again in the same area that had bothered me when I initially injured my wrist.  I sought treatment locally in Indiana, but I was not completely comfortable with the diagnosis that my local physician gave me.  I was planning an upcoming trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and I decided to explore my options at the Mayo Clinic.

My battle with cancer started a few years ago when I developed prostate cancer. My local doctor recommended a Radical Prostatectomy. He painstakingly spared all my nerves. I had no residual incontinence or impotence. PSA was NIL and has never returned. A few years later I detected a hardening of a testicle. Biopsies were sent out. They returned a finding of a large diffuse 8 cell; stage II 8 - Testicular Cancer-  dangerous and fast growing. My doctor sent me to Dr. Harwin, oncologist and founder of Florida Cancer Clinics. Dr. Harwin treated my brain and central nervous system. He referred me to an oncology radiologist who prescribed radiation of full trunk and specifically the scrotum and remaining testicle. Throughout all chemo and radiation treatments I continued to do what Dr. Harwin directed: "try to lead as normal life as you are able."

"When somebody saves your life, that's something that sticks with you for the rest of your life." Powerful words from Sandy Pobanz, a long-time patient and volunteer at Mayo Clinic. The Pobanz family, from Moline, Ill., began traveling to Mayo Clinic in 1942 when Sandy's father, Wilbur, sought care for a serious heart condition that threatened his life. Mayo physicians diagnosed and successfully treated Wilbur. Since then, the Pobanz family has turned to Mayo countless times.

I have been a Mayo Clinic patient and resident of Rochester, Mn for the past fifteen years or more. I have four daughters and each of them have been born under the care of Mayo physicians. I want to take this opportunity to give thanks and recognition to Dr. Collette Lessard. She made it to my "precipitous" birth of my newest edition in March. Dr. Lessard was spotted running through the halls of the subways and skyways to get to us in time. She is an excellent asset on the Mayo Clinic team. I am so pleased to have her as part of our birthing experience. The new birthing unit is nicely designed and much more "home-like" than the previous unit. I was able to hold and nurse my baby with all of her cares being done right next to me. I had hoped to make use of the birthing tubs, but time did not allow us to do so. Aside from all of the new improvements and modern updates to the birthing center, the patient care for my new baby and myself was exceptional and unforgettable. From the two women who admitted me, to the nurse who gave my baby her first bath, each Mayo employee played an integral role to our first day as a new mom and newborn. I am so grateful to each of you for living up to your mission statement and giving us such a wonderful start to a new life.

by Raquel Rivas It was 1979 when at 76, my grandmother suffered a stroke. Thirty-three years ago there was little people could do but deal with ...