Sharing Mayo Clinic - October 2012 Archives

Many experiences in my life have impacted the way I look at the world and all of the different people around me. I have realized that the world is so much bigger than just me and my family. Working together with each of our strengths and weaknesses can bring about extraordinary hope and progress. A few of my volunteer experiences have especially stood out in this respect. I first joined Mayo Clinic Young Volunteers near the end of my freshman year of high school. I thought it would be exciting to be involved with the famous, prestigious organization of Mayo Clinic, which gives so much hope and good care to its patients. While it is amazing to be a part of this nonprofit organization, I am also surprised by how Mayo Clinic has become a part of me.

Suzy Underhill's life took an unexpected turn less than a year ago when she discovered a large lump under her breast. She immediately went to see her gynecologist who recommended that she consult with a specialist. Suzy's good friend had told her to schedule an appointment at Mayo Clinic and soon after she consulted with specialists at the Breast Clinic. After several tests her physician at Mayo Clinic delivered the grim diagnosis, inflammatory breast cancer, a rare and fasting growing cancer requiring immediate treatment. Suzy shares with us her journey battling her disease and how the exceptional care provided by her Mayo team along with her supportive family and positive outlook helped to get her through her treatment.

My name is Samantha Blythe, and the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is a five-star medical facility in my book. Out of all the specialty clinics and hospitals that I’ve been to in my childhood and adult years, none of them match up to the quality of care that the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota gives to their patients. I had been there for the hip dysplasia in my right hip in 2000, and Dr. Dan Berry, who is the best hip specialist who works with Dr. Trousdale, decided to do the hip replacement surgery. I cried happy tears when he looked at me, and said, “Can you stay longer?”

Henry Corral had always enjoyed a full life in Arizona - staying fit, spending time with his family and working in the high tech industry.  In March of 2011, his life turned upside down. He received a diagnosis that few men expect to hear – breast cancer. The incidence of male breast cancer is rare and less than 1% of all breast carcinomas occur in men. Henry had no idea that his symptoms could be a sign of breast cancer but fortunately he listened to his body.  He sought the advice of his local physician who referred him to Mayo Clinic.

"I am a brain tumor survivor who spent 10 weeks at the wonderful Mayo Clinic. During this time, I had many bleeding complications. The doctors ...

A mother and her three daughters – all diagnosed with breast cancer. Kathleen O’Brien shares her family’s history battling a disease which eventually took her mother’s life and now has struck three more times. Kathleen and her sisters, Angel and Brenda,  carry the BRCA gene which means they face a much higher risk of developing both breast and ovarian cancer compared with the general population.

"First onboard and seated on the aisle, I watched my fellow passengers as they slowly filled the small regional jet. I was struck by how ...

While they have a number of father-son counterparts, Dietlind Wahner-Roedler, M.D., General Internal Medicine, and her daughter, Andrea Wahner Hendrickson, M.D., Medical Oncology, are Mayo Clinic’s first mother-daughter physician duo. "I think it shows the moving trend of more women going into medicine," says Dr. Wahner Hendrickson. When Dr. Wahner-Roedler started her residency at Mayo in 1969, and when she was hired on staff afterward, she was one of just three women in physician roles at Mayo Clinic. Her example inspired her daughter's choice to become a doctor.

Mayo Clinic was prominently featured in The Florida Times-Union's eight-page special section “Breast Cancer 2012 – We Can Cure It” in their September 30, 2012 newspaper which focuses on how today's medical advances are helping breast cancer survival rates hit an all-time high. This pink-covered section of Jacksonville's local daily newspaper features commentary by and photos of several Mayo Clinic physicians and other breast cancer experts on such topics as breast cancer prevention, breast cancer detection, breast cancer genomics and breast cancer surgery. [Read the four Mayo Clinic mentioned stories by following each of the headlines below]