Doug and Deborah Cone
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Leading medical centers around the country told Doug Cone, Jr.’s parents that nothing could be done for the massive tumor attached to their infant son’s brain and covering his right eye, and he would die.
Mayo Clinic was different. Although surgeons there did not perform the procedure Doug needed in the 1950s, they offered the next best solution — connecting his family with an Illinois doctor who could save his life. Doug underwent 16 additional surgeries over the next 14 years.
“My parents were told I had just a 30% chance to survive those surgeries,” Doug says.
Years later, a serious abdominal surgery complication brought Doug back to Mayo Clinic. He spent seven weeks in intensive care and nearly a year recovering. The experience reshaped his approach to health.
“After that, I decided I’m going to get and stay healthy,” Doug says. “I stopped smoking, made diet and exercise changes, and started taking the right supplements.”
Doug’s commitment to health led him to volunteer as an early participant in the Mayo Clinic Biobank and the Mayo Clinic Longevity Program, while his care inspired him and his wife, Deb, to become Philanthropic Partners.
One of our core values is giving back to the community. I was raised with the adage that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’
— DOUG CONE, JR.
Their support includes gifts to the Center for Individualized Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology’s Opioid and Multi-Addictions Biobank, the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, and capital expansion in Florida.
“I’m an absolute apostle in Mayo Clinic’s mission and vision,” Doug says. “I’ve never had a physician say, ‘This is it.’ It’s always been, ‘I’m going to talk to my colleagues about what’s best for you.’”
Mayo Clinic’s influence extends beyond Doug’s health. Its values have shaped how he leads his wholesale beverage distributorship, Cone Distributing, Inc. The company’s Team Cone values have helped it earn frequent recognition as one of Florida’s top workplaces.
“One of our core values is giving back to the community,” Doug says. “I was raised with the adage that ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’”