Sharing Mayo Clinic - November 2019 Archives

Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in her 40s, Tanis Milicevic tried a number of treatments to keep the disease in check. But the cancer came back. Then her Mayo Clinic care team offered Tanis a new option, and it made a world of difference.

Canna Caldwell endured a four-year wait for a new kidney. And for 2½ of those years, she required dialysis four days a week — a grueling experience that sapped her energy and narrowed her world. But then Canna got the call she had been waiting so long to receive, and a kidney transplant transformed her life.

Nick Saleum felt a painless lump in his left forearm. One doctor misdiagnosed the lump as a ganglion cyst or lipoma, but Nick noticed the lump growing and went to see another doctor. A biopsy revealed a rare, cancerous tumor: epithelioid sarcoma.

A bomb blast caused significant trauma to Senior Airman Josh Labott's patrol. But it was in the aftermath of that catastrophe that Labott found his calling and put him on the path to a career in medicine.

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.

These days, Molly Hanson feels awesome. Free from pain, she's now eager to get back into her life. Molly's energy today stands in stark contrast to how she felt a year ago — before she visited Mayo Clinic and learned an undiagnosed medical condition was to blame for many of her debilitating symptoms.

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.

Struggling and on the brink of suicide, Mark Markham turned to an expert team of mental health professionals at Mayo Clinic to help him regain his footing. With their guidance and care, Mark has been able to find his way back to a fulfilling life of purpose.

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.