Brian Hardaway, M.D., says what got him into transplant medicine was the long relationships physicians developed with their patients. "You're following patients for years. Transplant medicine is like planting a seed and watching an oak tree grow." That's something Dr. Hardaway understands as a physician, but also as a patient. In addition to caring for people before and after transplants, he's been both an organ donor and a recipient. He knows firsthand that good things grow when transplants take root.

Yonghun Kim grew up in North Carolina, half a world away from his grandfather in South Korea. They didn’t see each other often but built a special relationship through cheering on a hometown baseball team and taking peaceful walks on local trails together on Yonghun’s rare visits to South Korea. When his grandfather was diagnosed with terminal gallbladder cancer, Yonghun felt helpless. Yonghun decided to change that feeling following the death of his grandfather by becoming a physician.

John Berry’s family made the world accessible at one’s fingertips — his grandfather launched a telephone directory publishing business in Dayton, Ohio, that brought the yellow pages to people all over the globe. And when the Berry family needed answers for a medical need, they knew who to call. For three generations, Mayo Clinic has provided serious and complex care to the Berrys.

Jackie Zachmeyer ruminated on each word she penned in the letter. How does one define herself to people she’s never met? A sister. A daughter. An aunt. A wife. A godmother. A wish granter for children with medical needs. Jackie's note of gratitude to her donor family answered many questions. But the one question she couldn’t quite answer after her heart-lung transplant is why. As in, why was she still here?

Jonathan first got into tinkering with cars with his dad, Lynn. The first car Jonathan fell in love with was a 1964 ½ Ford Mustang they restored together. Predating the first official 1965 model, it was a prototype that was rushed to market after its successful debut as the 1964 Indianapolis 500 pace car. That car led to several others, including one that almost killed Jonathan and led him to seek care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic is also why the White family was at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale in the first place.

“To say the level of care at Mayo is unique is an understatement, and it is something I have not experienced anywhere else. When one hears that the patient comes first at Mayo, it is true.  I have no words to thank Mayo Clinic. There is a human side that shines through everyone who works there, and as a patient that is something that contributes to and helps to make a successful recovery. Mayo has given me the gift of extending my life. I am grateful that I can give back and know that in some way I am helping to make a difference.”