The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories

Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients.

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    Back to basketball after seizure surgery

    Study shows advanced imaging, expert review improve diagnosis of encephaloceles The sound of a basketball bouncing, the squeak of shoes on a fast break, the swish of the net — basketball has been a constant for Parker Shanks — from youth leagues to high school and college teams, to pickup games at his local gym. One day on the court in 2022, a seizure dropped 6-foot-8-inch Parker to the floor. Watch: Back to basketball after…

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    In the wake of thoracic outlet syndrome, an outdoors enthusiast triumphs

    Johnathan Sederquist isn’t interested in taking it easy. The active 29-year-old likes to work out early in the morning, do landscaping and excavation work for his company during the day, and tackle home improvement projects — like building a new house on the banks of the Hiwassee River — in his free time. He also loves spending time on the river, water surfing behind his boat or riding one of his two Jet Skis, with…

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    Thriving, not just surviving, after bariatric surgery

    A trip to Disney World in 2023 was an eye-opener for Katie Crow. It wasn't the rides, parades or immersive activities that caught her attention but that she struggled to have the energy to go to the amusement park every day. "It wasn't the experience I wanted it to be. That's when I knew I finally needed to do something about my weight," says Katie, an endoscopy nurse with Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse,…

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    New elbow surgery technique developed at Mayo Clinic helps wrestler get back on the mat

    Photo courtesy of David Peterson of Minnesota/USA Wrestling Tommy John surgery is not just for baseball pitchers. Ask Kylie Donat of Bemidji, Minnesota. Kylie is an 18-year-old high school swimmer, track and field athlete, and wrestler. She has been wrestling since 2021, the first year that girls' wrestling was a sanctioned high school sport in Minnesota. By 2023, Kylie was favored to win her weight class at the state championship. Photo courtesy of David Peterson…

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    'I'm so happy we're here:' An unexpected diagnosis saves Rich Bugay's life

    Rich Bugay had an appointment with the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on a Monday, where he had hoped to get answers and relief for what he thought was refractory acid reflux — until his doctor discovered a heart murmur. The next morning, Rich was told he had congenital heart disease and a severely dilated aorta that could rupture. Just two days later, Rich underwent lifesaving heart surgery. After…

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    Golfer's future back on course following hip surgery

    Normally, hearing about a senior with hip problems would not be very surprising. But the senior you're about to meet is a senior in high school. Thanks to Mayo Clinic, this young woman has a bright future that's all teed up. There's nothing like the sound of a solidly struck drive. Growing up in a golf family, it's a sound that Maddy Trapnell has heard a lot of. But it was a different sound that…

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    Britiny's team

    Britiny Schultz Britiny Schultz can't wait for fall. A huge football fan, she's looking forward to cheering on her favorite teams. It's something many fans take for granted — not Britiny. She's able to keep cheering, thanks to her doctors at Mayo Clinic and the incredible gift of life from not just one, but two organ donors. Britiny and her nieces and nephews The South Dakota native says she closely follows two teams: "The Bison…

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    A tale worth hearing

    Carole Reisinger and husband Rick Carole Reisinger’s body was telling a story that nobody would ever want to hear. "It started last February when I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Thanks to the medical staff at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, five days later, I had a 9-by-5-centimeter tumor removed," says Carole Reisinger. But it was during that surgery, the second story was about to be told. "In the process of that surgery, the surgeons noticed…

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    Defying all odds and exploring a remarkable journey beyond diagnosis 

    Mike stands proudly upon the North Shore of Lake Superior. In August 2021, then-28-year-old Mike Knudson set out on what he thought would be an adventure-filled hiking vacation inside Glacier National Park in Montana. Little did he know at the time that this journey into nature would be the start of an unexpected life path. It all began innocuously enough just before Mike was scheduled to leave for his trip. One morning before work, he…

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    Looking back on pancreatic cancer, 5 years later

    On October 23, 2018, Rita Krueger underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer. Mark Truty, M.D., a Mayo Clinic hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon, removed her pancreas, duodenum, spleen and left adrenal gland and removed and reconstructed several blood vessels involved in her tumor. Within hours of surgery, a pathology report revealed that Rita was cancer-free. Eight months prior, another surgeon had told Rita to get her affairs in order. Rita and her husband, Jim, sought a second opinion…

Dec. 19, 2024