Cancer

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.

5 lessons learned from 20 years of living with, through and beyond ovarian cancer
Cynthia Weiss at work at Mayo Clinic. I was 33 when I first began experiencing aches and pains that led me to the doctor. It was 2003. I was never married, never pregnant, generally healthy and living life to the fullest. I didn’t expect a cancer diagnosis. The doctor told me I had stage 4 gynecologic cancer. Cervical or ovarian cancer? They couldn't be 100% sure, as medical technology was not as advanced back then. Tests seemed to…
Trust and timing: How a bone marrow transplant gave a man extra birthdays to celebrate
"I started writing my first book at the age of two. It's gonna be published at the age of four. Not bad for a little kid, huh?" But Dean Weitenhagen isn't a child prodigy with a five-year plan. He is a 70-year-old commercial real estate broker with a new lease on life — and a new "birthday" he celebrates — thanks to a lifesaving stem cell transplant for acute myeloid leukemia. Dean's new birthday, and his…
Team approach helps farmer beat lymphoma
Shortly before Thanksgiving 2021, Jerry Haines, a part-time farmer and retired butter and cheesemaker, was helping another farmer with fall chores. He felt good but noticed an odd lump on his upper arm. "It wasn't too big — only about the size of a hickory nut. I thought that something bit me," says the 81-year-old Arcadia, Wisconsin, resident. "Over the next few days, it got bigger. Then I found a lump in my armpit too."…
Reclaiming strength and independence after rare cancer diagnosis
The year was 2019. Alexa Lofaro was in her happy place, inside Nassau Veteran's Memorial Collesium in Uniondale, New York, watching the New York Islanders play hockey. As she made her way to her seat, another fan’s words caught her off-guard. “As I walked by him, he said, ‘Get home safely,’” Alexa says. “He thought I was drunk. I wasn’t drunk.” Instead, Alexa’s slow, cautious walk down the arena stairs was to compensate for the…
More adventures thanks to advanced cancer care, robotic surgery
Stacy Weisensel and her husband Joshua had a goal: to take their daughters to as many national parks as possible. But in the summer of 2021, while trying to enjoy the breathtaking views of Yellowstone National Park with her family, Stacy was distracted by a nagging pain in her esophagus. Over the next few months, Stacy’s symptoms grew worse and ultimately led to a frightening diagnosis — stomach cancer. A life-changing diagnosis In July 2021,…
'My life is in the right hands.' Surgery gives California woman hope after cancer diagnosis
Vishakha Majithia and her husband Thomas had started to envision their lives after retirement — visiting family in India, traveling around the world, and seeing their only son complete his oncology fellowship and start a family. But those plans quickly changed in mid-2018 when Vishakha received frightening news. She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer — the tumor was considered inoperable. While the diagnosis came as a shock, it explained the seemingly unexplained symptoms Vishakha…
2-for-1 surgery: Hernia repair and prostate cancer removal
Bruce Simones has worn many hats in his life and likes to be busy. He's been a student, father, nurse, business owner, mentor, friend, grandfather and volunteer. Today, the 74-year-old La Crosse, Wisconsin, retiree fills his days playing golf, spending time with his family and hiking his active dogs in the Hixton Forest. He also volunteers at a warming shelter for people who are homeless and delivers furniture to families in need with a nonprofit…
An emotional proposition for cancer survivor
As a five-year survivor of anaplastic pancreatic cancer, Jim Smith belongs to a small group of people to have reached the important milestone. In the years since receiving the life-threatening diagnosis and ensuing lifesaving treatment at Mayo Clinic, the trauma has begun to fade into memory. Jim, a medical doctor and married father of two grown daughters, lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and works at Creighton University School of Medicine. He has finally begun to ponder…

Pagination Patient Stories

Locations, travel and lodging

Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.

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Mayo Clinic's campus in Arizona

Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida

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Mayo Clinic Health System

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In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.

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Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota

Mayo Clinic Health System

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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Doctors & departments

Nov. 19, 2024