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Air Ambulance Ride Confirms Family’s Gratitude for Mayo Clinic
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Growing up in South Dakota, Brandon Mauck had heard stories about the famous medical institution surrounded by cornfields in Rochester, Minnesota. Mayo Clinic's reputation inspired him to become part of the Mayo organization, and for the past four years, he has been working in the Department of Nursing at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. What he perhaps wasn't expecting is how strongly his beliefs about the organization would be confirmed through his personal experience and that of his young family.
Recently, Brandon wrote to Mayo Clinic's president and CEO, John Noseworthy, M.D., to recount a personal story that confirmed his pride in Mayo. “I must say that I never imagined that I would be so well cared for by my employer," he writes. "I feel it is vitally important to say ‘thank you’ and make sure you all know how grateful I am.”
It all started in late 2013, at a family gathering in North Dakota in 2013. Brandon had traveled there with his wife, Becky, and two daughters, Annastyn, then 3, and Maci, then 2. Just a few hours after their arrival for the festivities, Becky, who was 29 weeks pregnant, went into premature labor.
“Being in rural North Dakota and three hours away from trusted medical care was quite distressing,” Brandon says. Becky, once stabilized, was airlifted to Bismarck, North Dakota. Then fear sank in. “We were now stuck, 1,500 miles away from home, with a 3.5-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a soon-to-be NICU [neonatal intensive care unit] baby,” Brandon says. But then a light bulb went off in his head. “Mayo!”
Brandon surprised himself when he found the number for the nurse line for Mayo Clinic employees programmed into his cellphone, and he called it at 11 a.m. on a Sunday. By 6 p.m., Mayo MedAir, Mayo’s air ambulance service, had brought Becky back to Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where she remained under the care of the Mayo team.
“With the help of all, my wife was able to make it to 31 weeks, at which time our baby boy was born — a handsome preemie NICU baby who was healthy and only needed to grow and learn how to drink out of a bottle,” Mauck says.
“Thank you, Mayo Clinic, for taking care of me and my family,” he wrote in his message. “My family and I simply want you to know that you have truly positively impacted our lives, and we are very grateful.”
Helpful Links
- Learn more about Mayo MedAir air ambulance service.
- Learn more about Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Request an appointment.
