Stories of Hope

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.

Emergency departments can be chaotic. Nurses and doctors moving quickly to meet patient needs, the wheels of gurneys rolling along hard floors, and monitoring equipment beeping to draw the attention of care providers. It was there that Fatima Islam discovered something was missing from her career.

Dick Buell’s goal is simple and selfless: “To help as many people as I can.”

Dawn Botsford was sitting in a chair at the hair salon in the fall of 2011 when her hairdresser commented on a spot on the top of her head. It was bug season in North Dakota, so Dawn didn’t think much of it. “When I told my hairdresser that, she said, ‘I really think you need to get it checked out.’ She saved my life,” Dawn recalls.

Larry Connor will be one of four civilians from around the world to take part in the flight.

Larry Connor has participated in more than 1,000 hours of professional astronaut training, as well as Mayo Clinic instruction for the mission’s research component. That preparation, he feels, will contribute to a successful 10-day mission. In addition to the research materials, he's also bringing a few trinkets along with him to space on behalf of others.