After serving his country with honor for 30 years, a retired Green Beret is now serving his community as a volunteer at Mayo Clinic.

And as Jason Howland reports, this American appreciates life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness every day — for good reason.

Watch: A veteran's journey from Holocaust to hope at Mayo Clinic

Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (4:17) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script.

Millions of patients, families and visitors journey to Mayo Clinic for hope and healing — each with their own unique life story. Kurt, an 80-year-old Mayo Clinic volunteer, has a life story you need to hear.

"I was born in Stimmersdorf, which was within the Nazi-occupied territory of the Czech Republic," Kurt says.

In 1943, when Kurt was still an infant, his father was forced by the Nazis to fight for the German army on the Eastern Front, as Kurt and his mother were sent to the concentration camps.

"The one soldier said, 'Leutnant, ich habe zwei Juden hier. (Lieutenant, I've got two Jews here.)' And we were sent to Auschwitz," Kurt says.

A year later, sent to Dachau. As the Allies approached in spring of '45, Kurt and his mother were quickly being transported by the Nazis to another camp when the train derailed. They survived the crash and escaped.

"We kept going and kept going until we couldn't hear any more dogs barking, screaming, shooting," he says.

They spent 16 weeks on the run avoiding capture until the war ended. "We had to live off the land, so to speak," Kurt says.

Meanwhile, Kurt's father was a prisoner of the Soviets. "Trains would come from Russia and bring home POWs," he says.

And during Hanukkah 1949 at the train station, "... it was the worst, coldest winter ever recorded. We heard a faint voice, 'Ester, bist du das? (Ester is that you?)' We turned around, it was my father," Kurt says.

In 1956, the family immigrated to the U.S. "And we saw the Statue of Liberty," he says.

They settled in Albany, New York. And as a young man at 18, Kurt became an American. "Tears came down my cheek, and I was so happy," he says.

And he joined the Army.

"I wanted to give back, and I served. It was the only way I could thank this great country called the United States of America and the American people for having allowed me to come here," Kurt says.

He served a 30-year military career in the Army Special Forces as a Green Beret. "Freedom is such a powerful word," Kurt says.

He is reminded every day what freedom truly means. "Freedom gives you hope," he says.

A cancer diagnosis brought him to Mayo Clinic, where he's been treated for the past 23 years by a leading expert in advanced prostate cancer, Dr. Eugene Kwon.

"They gave me my life back. He spent as much time with me as possible, and I know with him, I was always in the best of hands," Kurt says.

It inspired Kurt to move to Rochester, Minnesota, and volunteer at Mayo Clinic.

"Monday through Friday, usually from 6:45 a.m. to 11 o'clock," he says. "This was the perfect opportunity. I knew there were patients coming through here, military people coming through here that I can relate to — not only talk to these people, but uplift their spirits, and instill in them that there is hope, that they're in the right place."

"Positive attitude, sunshine in the heart, and I use the gray matter God put between my ears to spread the joy, the happiness and goodwill, so to speak. This is why I'm supposed to be here," Kurt says. "America gave me freedom, hope. Mayo Clinic did the same thing."

Read more about Kurt's cancer care here.

The post A veteran’s journey from Holocaust to hope at Mayo Clinic appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic’s annual Heritage Days celebration takes place next week, Oct. 5–9. An array of celebratory events and activities will be held across the institution to thank all of the dedicated employees and volunteers who provide service to patients. All events and activities are free and open to the public.

The theme of this year’s Heritage Days is "Salute to Service,” which honors the involvement of various generations of Mayo Clinic employees and supporters of the armed forces who served on the battlefield and homefront.

The year 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, during which William Worrall Mayo, M.D., moved to Rochester upon his appointment as an enrolling surgeon for the Union Army, as well as the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, during which Mayo Clinic provided innovative medical science.

MEDIA CONTACT: Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs,
507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu

Come celebrate Heritage Days with weeklong entertainment and family fun for all ages. Here are some events taking place across Mayo Clinic’s Rochester campus Oct. 5–9:

• Watch the premiere of a new Heritage Film, “Serving with Honor: Mayo Clinic and the Military,” which showcases the Mayo Clinic community serving and supporting the military.
• View an exhibit honoring the milestone anniversaries of several Mayo Clinic buildings.
• Relive the 1940s by visiting two displays of vintage military and civilian vehicles in Annenberg Plaza. Come view a 1941 Willys Jeep MB owned by Andrew Wood, son of Earl Wood, M.D., Ph.D., who helped in Mayo’s groundbreaking aviation research in World War II, along with a 1940 Chrysler Windsor Coupe owned by Bruce Wolff, M.D., Mayo Clinic emeritus surgeon, and maintained by Steven Erickson, Mayo Clinic Facilities Operations.
• Commemorate Mayo Clinic employees who served in World War I. A display on the Mayo Clinic Hospital – Rochester, Saint Marys Campus, showcases a commendation to a Saint Marys nurse for bravely conducting surgery during combat and a homefront banner honoring personnel in service.
• Enjoy a carillon concert featuring patriotic tunes on Thursday, Oct. 8, from noon to 12:45 p.m. in Annenberg Plaza.
• Visit Mayo Clinic's Research Information Center in the Gonda Lobby on Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m. to hear from Mayo researcher Michael Yaszemski, M.D., Ph.D., talk about Mayo's history of military research and how Mayo researchers are spearheading revolutionary musculoskeletal analysis of regeneration of nerve and bone. Scientists are creating innovative medicine for critically wounded service members. Their research focuses on wound healing, bone and facial reconstruction, and nerve and burn repair via either regeneration or transplant.
• Learn about the history of primary findings in anesthesia through displays and exhibits honoring the 125th anniversary of Nurse Anesthesia Education at Mayo Clinic. In 1889, William Worrall Mayo, M.D., taught Edith Graham, RN, Rochester's first trained nurse, how to apply chloroform. Since then, Mayo Clinic has provided pioneering education in anesthesia and created an intensive Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice Program.

For a listing of events and more information, visit the Heritage Days’ website at http://history.mayoclinic.org/tours-events/heritage-days.php.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to medical research and education, and providing expert, whole-person care to everyone who needs healing. For more information, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic or https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/.

The post Mayo Clinic to Celebrate Heritage Days Oct. 5–9 appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

The next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m. CDT, is a rebroadcast from October 2013.

Listen to this week’s Medical News Headlines: News Segment April 5, 2014 (right click MP3) 

Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic. The show is taped for rebroadcast by some affiliates.

For future topics, click on Upcoming Programs.
To listen to archived shows, click on Episodes.
If there is a topic you would like us to address, drop us a note.  Click here to create a guest account.

The post MAYO CLINIC RADIO appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

VETERANS DAY TWITTER CHAT ON
MILITARY SUICIDE PREVENTION

Follow #vetchat Monday, Nov. 11, 1-2 p.m. ET

Join @MayoClinic and @afspnational with moderator @Time’s @AliceParkNY and a variety of other mental health/ suicide prevention experts.

Topics to discuss:

• Scope of the problem –  statistics/data
• Reasons why veterans today are at increased risk compared to previous military personnel
• PTSD - which vets are most at risk
• The role of firearms in veteran suicide
• Substance abuse/mental illness
• The generational and mental health differences
• What the VA and other government agencies are doing to help prevent military suicide 
  

Never participated in a chat before, or want tips on how to participate effectively? Watch this video.
Questions? E-mail Nick Hanson at hanson.nicholas@mayo.edu.

The post Veterans Day – Military Suicide Prevention Awareness #vetchat appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

The Army Reserve’s 945th Forward Surgical Team  is heading to Afghanistan and Mayo Clinic is playing a role helping prepare the unit. The 945th, commanded by Mayo family medicine physician Col. Walter Franz, M.D., has been training in the Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Simulation Center the past year getting ready for deployment. The 945th includes more than a dozen medical military trauma care specialists, roughly half from Minnesota and half from other states. Dr. Franz says the team travels next to the University of Miami for intensive trauma care training, including actual patient care. A deployment date has not been announced.  

Click here for entire story

The post Military Trauma Care Team Trains at Mayo appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

MEDIA ALERT:
As Veteran’s Day approaches, it’s important to recognize that many soldiers battle mental health conditions like anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression long after they return from combat. Suicide rates in the U.S. Army now exceed the rate in the general population, and psychiatric admission is now the most common reason for hospitalization in the Army.  Timothy Lineberry, M.D., a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist, an Air Force veteran and a suicide prevention expert for the Army, says, "These are concerning trends. Even though large-scale military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are ending, the effects on the mental health of active-duty service members, reservists and veterans are just beginning."   

Sound bites with Dr. Lineberry are available in the downloads below  

Expert title for broadcast cg: Dr. Timothy Lineberry, Mayo Clinic Psychiatrist   

To interview Dr. Lineberry contact:
Nick Hanson
507-284-5005 
newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Impact of War Haunts Veterans Long After Combat appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Dr. Lineberry says,“Despite the anticipated end of large-scale military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the affects on the mental health of active-duty service members, reservists and veterans is only just beginning to be felt." In the article, Dr. Lineberry outlines four steps he believes could help curb military suicide:  

• Reduce access to guns and other means of suicide  
• Watch for sleep disturbances
• Prescribe opioid medications carefully and monitor
• Improve primary care treatment for depression

Read entire news release: Military Suicides

Sound bites with Dr. Lineberry are available in the downloads.

Expert title for broadcast cg: Dr. Timothy Lineberry, Mayo Clinic Psychiatrist

To interview Dr. Lineberry contact:
Nick Hanson
507-284-5005
newsbureau@mayo.edu

The post Fighting the Battles of Military Suicide appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

[More photos at Flickr.com/MayoClinic]

Friends thought he’d had a seizure. They called 911 and Bretz was transported to Mayo Clinic where doctors determined a giant aneurysm had burst in his brain, causing a massive stroke. Prognosis was grim.

“I was in shock to say the least,” recalls his mom Noel, when hearing her young son had a stroke. “The staff were excellent though and very informative despite the fact that there was an unknown outcome.”

Despite surgery to stop the bleeding, Bretz had significant brain swelling and was kept in a medically-induced coma. Surgeons had to remove a portion of his skull in attempt to relieve the swelling. When he awoke he’d lost his ability to walk, talk, and even swallow. At one point Bretz could only move his left thumb.

Doctors found that the aneurysm in his brain was still growing so additional surgery was needed. Surgeons implanted a new FDA-approved stent in his brain to help divert the flow of blood and force the aneurysm to dissolve. But recovery was an uphill battle. Daily, there were issues and set-backs – which Noel described as “a minute by minute emotional roller coaster.

Family, friends and colleagues rallied around him. USCG Sector Jacksonville commanding officer Captain Andy Blomme encouraged his troops to visit Bretz and show support for their fellow “Coastie.” Bretz never failed to have a steady stream of visitors.

And slowly, he improved. “Sean is stubborn,” says Noel. Within two months, Bretz was making remarkable progress – he was able to salute Capt. Blomme with his left hand. And by the fall, he was able to walk – albeit slowly and a few steps. He continued his arduous recovery and rehabilitation near Savannah, Ga., with the help of his mother and ongoing military support.

Almost a year to the day of his stroke, Bretz returned to Jacksonville to attend the change of command ceremony at U.S. Naval Station Mayport. He walked into the crowd, unaided, in full uniform– something that did not go unnoticed.

In his farewell address to the troops, Capt. Blomme paid homage to Bretz, recognizing him for his attitude and as a true example of fighting spirit. “He worked and strained and persevered, had fire, determination and drive…”

Capt. Blomme recalled visiting Sean and says “one of the happiest moments was to see a thumbs up sign from someone we were so close to losing.”

Today, Bretz continues with therapy but has made a “fascinating recovery,” says internventional neurosurgeon Rabih Tawk, M.D., a member of Mayo Clinic’s stroke team. “He’s done remarkably well considering where he was. Sean’s is a story that is about good luck and using every treatment and technology available in 2012, which worked for him,” Dr. Tawk says.

Though he still has some deficits and will need additional surgery, Bretz celebrates his independence daily. “For the most part, I am able to do everything for myself with the exception of run and drive.” He hopes to soon be back behind the wheel of his pickup and eventually back at work, the latter of which sometimes surprises him.

Enlisting voluntarily at 20, Bretz says he figured he’d do his four years and go back to school.  “Then everything started coming into place for me,” he says. And now, after his health scare, he’s even more dedicated. “I got to see a different side of the Coast Guard. It’s changed my mind and made me want to stay in.”

And in the eyes of his fellow guardsmen, Bretz certainly lives up to the last line of the Coast Guard creed:  “With God’s help, I shall endeavor to be one of His noblest Works…"

Related Diseases

• Brain Aneurysm
• Stroke

Related Departments

• Neurology

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Eventually, something’s gonna kill you.  It’s just life. What we usually don’t know is if what that something will be.  A car accident? Cancer? It could be a falling coconut.  Some suffer.  Others go quickly.  Some see their end coming.  Many don’t.

As we think about the meaning of Veteran’s Day, we salute our heroes who fought wars at home and abroad –  who most likely  thought about their mortality and wondering if they will make it to their next birthday. Dodging bullets is a way of life, literally for these men and women.

“It was always in the back of your mind,” recalls Jacksonville, Fla., resident and Mayo Clinic volunteer Stanley Rozycki, a WWII Polish Army veteran. Rozycki, who was born in 1927, spent three years in the Underground Army as well as four years in the Polish Army under British command. But he also had the misfortune of being a prisoner of war and spent nine months in three different German POW camps. He often wondered if he’d make it to 84.

Rozycki recalls a particular day in 1944 when he was being transported from one German POW camp to another. The train car he was riding in took fire.  Hundreds of rounds ripped through the sides of the train killing many. But not Stanley Rozycki.  Having maintained a seated position during the majority of the ride and exhausted, he made the fateful and fortunate decision to lay down only moments before he saw a sizeable round tear through the car, whizz past the spot where his once-upright torso had just been and strike the body of the man right next to him.

“If I hadn’t decided to lie down at that exact moment, I wouldn’t be here today, “ he recalls.  “It was a miracle.”

Rozycki says he’s witnessed more than a few miracles in his life. That day he walked away from the train. But many, including the man next to him, didn’t. Rozycki recovered the round from the dead soldier’s body and kept it as evidence of the horror he’d witnessed and a token of his good fortune.  Although he has since lost his memento, the bullet and lingering memory of thousands of casualties were not the only souvenirs Rozycki brought back with him from the war.

On Aug. 24, 1944, Rozycki sustained a machine gun wound to the leg while escaping a part of Warsaw that had been overrun by German soldiers. The injury had never healed properly and continued to torment him and cause him pain long after the battles had ceased.

As any soldier is taught to do, he trudged on. After his service, he was awarded a scholarship to study in the United States and was eventually granted permanent citizenship. He received both an undergraduate degree as well as his PhD.  He became a vice president at a major US corporation.  He raised a family.  He volunteered his time. Then, he fixed his leg – 66 years later.

On Aug. 24, 2010, exactly 66 years to the day after that bullet from a German machine gun pierced his left leg, Rozycki underwent surgery to fix the infected vein that had been causing him issues all these years.  Mayo Clinic vascular surgeon Albert Hakaim, M.D., performed the endovenous ablation on Rozycki’s left leg in January of 2010 – a procedure which quelled the majority of Mr. Rozycki’s lingering leg pain.

Rozycki, forever grateful to Mayo Clinic for the quality care they’ve provided, gives back by volunteering at the hospital once a week.  On Wednesday afternoons, you can find him chatting or cracking jokes with the patients waiting for their own procedures, occasionally assisting those in wheelchairs.

“I wake up every morning and thank God that I’m a pusher and not a pushee,” he says, adding “volunteering is so important.  “Mayo is such a great organization; they’re miracle workers.  I consider what Dr. Hakaim did for my leg to be a miracle.  That’s why it’s important to me to give back.”

Rozycki underwent one last follow up procedure earlier this week, just before Veteran’s day, incidentally. But he is confident he will be back at his post on Wednesday afternoons just outside the Bundy Café shortly thereafter.  After all, a sore leg didn’t slow him for 66 years, why should it now?

As a veteran and a father of veterans, Rozycki understands sacrifice and has sacrificed; he understands what it means to dedicate oneself to something bigger and knows what it means to truly, give back.

On the subject of Veteran’s Day, Rozycki, is rightfully sad. Aside from remembering his past comrades, he says he is disappointed that many do not understand the sacrifices or even the history. “We are not nearly patriotic enough today.  It saddens me to think that so many students in the United States today, don’t even know their own country’s history, and that knowledge of history is what fuels patriotism.” He continues: “The past is so important because without a past, we have no future.”

As he recalls the past – the good, the bad, the painful – Rozycki also continues to look forward.

Garrison Keillor once wrote, “It’s a shallow life, that doesn’t give a person a few scars.”   Rozycki has a few.  He’s a man with a past, a rich past and has the scars to prove it.  He has dodged bullets. But he lives fully and looks forward to his next birthday.

Written by David Desmidt

Related Departments

• Endovenous Ablation

Related Departments

• Vascular Center
• Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

The post Healing A WWII Veteran’s 66-Year-Old Injury appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.