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. A tale worth hearingCarole 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… Sally Blackwell 'no longer on the sidelines' after life-changing surgery for rectal cancerSally Blackwell with her husband, Christopher Blackwell. Sally Blackwell was pregnant with her second child when she began noticing symptoms she initially brushed off as nothing. She was experiencing constipation. She wasn't gaining weight during the pregnancy. She figured the lack of weight gain had to be because she wasn't doing the daily Chick-fil-A runs she did during her first pregnancy. It wasn't until after her daughter was born in May 2021 that the symptoms became… FISH testing helps detect unseen cancer cellsOn the brink of losing her battle with acute myeloid leukemia, Shannon Camlek arrived at Mayo Clinic as a last hope. Her chances didn’t look good, but with the help of specialized genetic testing, particularly FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) studies, doctors were able to detect the specific gene mutations responsible for her symptoms and disease. The test results also helped Shannon’s care team target her treatment accordingly, and finally put an end to what… 'I'll be there for my daughters,' Florida woman's pledge while navigating cancerLorie Kirkman with her husband and three daughters. Lorie Kirkman embraces a lifestyle of being on the move. The 38-year-old is a wife and mom to three young daughters who are active in their Northeast Florida community and have a passion for being outdoors. After working out at her gym one day, Lorie began to feel pain in her back and shoulder. When it became uncomfortable to sit or lay down, and she noticed exhaustion… Goldilocks surgery: Finding the perfect balance in breast cancer reconstructionKathleen Stewart was used to waiting for test results. She'd been called back for additional mammogram images many times and had already undergone two biopsies of suspicious areas in her breasts. In March 2022, as she waited for a call about the results of a breast biopsy, the resident of La Crosse, Wisconsin, felt she already knew what they would be. "I had already had that internal conversation that if I was diagnosed, I knew… 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 lymphomaShortly 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."… 2-for-1 surgery: Hernia repair and prostate cancer removalBruce 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 survivorAs 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… Mayo Clinic Connect brings together 2 women with leukemia, 46 years apartEditor's note: The Mayo Clinic Connect volunteer mentor featured in this story has asked that her Connect handle — @LoriBMT — be used in place of her name. In 2019, 65-year-old @LoriBMT sat in a Mayo Clinic lab area awaiting her turn for blood work. She had been in the hospital for more than six weeks following a bone marrow transplant. @LoriBMT is a positive person, but after weeks of feeling tired and week, she… Pagination Patient Stories Go to page 11 Go to page 22 NextNext Page Request an appointment ResearchCosts & insurance May 09, 2023 Share on: FacebookTwitter Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, have been recognized among the top Cancer hospitals in the nation for 2023-2024 by U.S. News & World Report. 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