You want Mayo with that?
Ok, dumb pun.... I went to the Mayo Clinic yesterday. Even those of us living in Minnesota are in awe of that place, and it sparks some rather notions that we are not worthy of going. But 2 weeks ago my 80 year old grandma was referred there for her heart. My grandma has been pretty clean living, so we were all shocked when the doctor told us that 2 of her valves where basically not working anymore (after many mis-diagnoses). She had rheumatic fever as a child and the effects have finally caught up to her. So I followed my dad, aunts and uncle and grandma to Rochester, MN yesterday.
That place is amazing. We went to the hospital portion for her surgery. I said 'bye' to her about 9:00am and hugged her tight. Several hours later, there she lay... sleeping with a tube down her throat. A few hours after that, she was awake and able to squeeze my had... but I burst into tears... and then my aunts all lost it too. It is very hard to see someone as full of life, feisty and ornery as my grandma like that. I'm going down there after work tomorrow to see her.
I saw license plates from all over the US... saw Amish people and folks in all sorts of different clothing from all over the world. But what touched me the most was seeing a little girl of about 10, leaving the hospital with only wisps of hair. I cried and looked away so she wouldn't see me. The hope that the Mayo Clinic offers people is something I can't even describe.
My grandma's surgery went great. The doctors were impressed with how quickly she came out of the anesthesia (like a 20 year old they said) and extended her life by perhaps another 15 years.
The people who work at the Mayo Clinic were amazing. Their customer service was like nothing I'd ever experience anywhere. There was a nurse with my grandma at all times... as there was with every little baby in the other rooms. Most of the patients there in the heart ward were babies.
Interesting fact: Doctors at the Mayo Clinic are paid a salary rather than per patient as it is with typical hospitals. They do that so that the doctor's can spend as much time with each person as they need. And it is a non-profit facility.
That place is amazing. We went to the hospital portion for her surgery. I said 'bye' to her about 9:00am and hugged her tight. Several hours later, there she lay... sleeping with a tube down her throat. A few hours after that, she was awake and able to squeeze my had... but I burst into tears... and then my aunts all lost it too. It is very hard to see someone as full of life, feisty and ornery as my grandma like that. I'm going down there after work tomorrow to see her.
I saw license plates from all over the US... saw Amish people and folks in all sorts of different clothing from all over the world. But what touched me the most was seeing a little girl of about 10, leaving the hospital with only wisps of hair. I cried and looked away so she wouldn't see me. The hope that the Mayo Clinic offers people is something I can't even describe.
My grandma's surgery went great. The doctors were impressed with how quickly she came out of the anesthesia (like a 20 year old they said) and extended her life by perhaps another 15 years.
The people who work at the Mayo Clinic were amazing. Their customer service was like nothing I'd ever experience anywhere. There was a nurse with my grandma at all times... as there was with every little baby in the other rooms. Most of the patients there in the heart ward were babies.
Interesting fact: Doctors at the Mayo Clinic are paid a salary rather than per patient as it is with typical hospitals. They do that so that the doctor's can spend as much time with each person as they need. And it is a non-profit facility.