Arizona patient stories

Surgery for Sunken Breastbone Reshapes Patient's Chest, Shapes Career Path

Written by Rebecca Uhl “My chest just has a dent.” “Everyone is unique, and this is simply the way I was made.” This is what I told myself growing up, being unaware that I had a congenital chest wall deformity known as pectus excavatum. As a sophomore at Temple University in Philadelphia pursuing a marketing [...]

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Florida patient stories

Patients Tell How Pain Rehabilitation Program Brought Them Relief

Three weeks. It sounds like a long time, especially if you’re going to a hospital or clinic every day. But for people living with chronic pain, a daily, multi-week program is compelling if it can help them return to a more active lifestyle. Established in 2011, the Pain Rehabilitation Center at Mayo Clinic's Florida campus [...]

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Minnesota patient stories

Mother Gives Daughter the Gift of Life … Twice

At 27 weeks into her pregnancy with twins, Amber Sylvester went to Mayo Clinic with her husband, Mike, for an ultrasound test and received news that no parent wants to hear. One of the babies was in trouble. She had enlarged kidneys, no amniotic fluid around her body, and fluid in her abdomen. She would [...]

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International patient stories

Thoroughness is credited by Canadian for early Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

John Henderson of British Columbia is a details man: a Chartered Accountant for whom accuracy and thoroughness are paramount. So while health care is excellent in Canada, about 15 years ago Mr. Henderson, now 62, decided his routine check-ups were not as thorough as they should be for a man approaching 50. "Every time I [...]

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Cancer patient stories

Walking by Faith, and Now by Sight

In many ways, Jenny Peterson was like other mothers of young children. She cooked and baked, cleaned and washed clothes, and cheered her children on from the sidelines of their activities. In one significant way, though, Jenny was different: She did all of these things without sight. Jenny lost her vision in 1976, after having [...]

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Cardiovascular patient stories

Patient Comes to Mayo for Foot Surgery, Receives Lifesaving Surprise

When Virgil Jernigan came to Mayo Clinic for foot surgery, he was in for a lifesaving surprise. During an exam before his surgery, he mentioned to his nurse practitioner that he had been feeling fatigued and short of breath. So she ordered cardiac testing. Virgil was shocked to learn he had a leaking mitral valve – [...]

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Transplant patient stories

Mother Gives Daughter the Gift of Life … Twice

At 27 weeks into her pregnancy with twins, Amber Sylvester went to Mayo Clinic with her husband, Mike, for an ultrasound test and received news that no parent wants to hear. One of the babies was in trouble. She had enlarged kidneys, no amniotic fluid around her body, and fluid in her abdomen. She would [...]

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Neurosciences patient stories

A Long Journey to a Seizure-Free Life

In December 2014, Gregory Cascino, M.D., a neurologist at Mayo Clinic, received a photo of a former patient. Kate Seifert was standing at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, almost 20,000 feet above sea level, at the mountain’s Uhuru Peak. The photo was accompanied by a note from Seifert’s mother. “We will be forever [...]

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Pediatric patient stories

Mother Gives Daughter the Gift of Life … Twice

At 27 weeks into her pregnancy with twins, Amber Sylvester went to Mayo Clinic with her husband, Mike, for an ultrasound test and received news that no parent wants to hear. One of the babies was in trouble. She had enlarged kidneys, no amniotic fluid around her body, and fluid in her abdomen. She would [...]

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