Caring PartnersFall 2012 - Mayo Clinic Health System

Fall 2012
Caring Partners
Your gifts | Your impact | Our thanks
High quality
cancer care
PAGE 2
More than
treating
a disease
PAGE 4
Help for those
who struggle
PAGE 6
How your support
helps patients
with cancer
mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving
Franciscan Healthcare Foundation

Your gifts at work
Cancer Center receives special recognition
Your support of comprehensive care makes the difference
“We’re really proud
to have been
recognized. But
more important
is achieving the
high level of care
required to earn
the recognition.
That’s what means
the most to us and
to our patients.”
Diane Otte
Director
Cancer Center
On the cover:
Cancer survivor
Bill Eddy with friend
Petie, see page four.
The Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic Health
System in La Crosse has achieved two
commendations for providing high-quality,
comprehensive cancer care — and it’s thanks
in part to your support.
Your charitable gifts allow staff in the
Cancer Center to do much more than treat a
disease. You help them heal mind, body and
spirit by maintaining programs that address
individual patient needs.
“We’re really proud to have been
recognized,” says Diane Otte, director of
the Cancer Center. “But more important is
achieving the high level of care required to
earn the recognition. That’s what means the
most to us and to our patients.”
Earlier this year, the Cancer Center
successfully completed all requirements
and an onsite survey to achieve Quality
Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI)
certification. The American Society of
Clinical Oncology established the QOPI
program to certify practices that meet the
highest quality standards for cancer care.
To become certified, practices must meet
core standards in all areas of treatment,
including treatment planning, chemotherapy
preparation and administration, staff
training and education, and monitoring and
assessment of patient well-being.
Currently, only 138 practices in the
country have achieved this certification.
In addition, the Cancer Center was
granted an Outstanding Achievement
Award by the American College of
Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. The
award recognizes practices that demonstrate
a “commendation level” of compliance in
six areas, including clinical management,
research, community outreach and quality
improvement.
The Cancer Center is one of just 13
practices across the country to have earned
the Outstanding Achievement Award in
each of the three-year review periods since
the program began in 2005.
Your support of patient-centered
programs helped make this recognition
possible, and ensures that patients receive
compassionate, individualized care.
“Our staff is keenly aware of the
importance of philanthropy in caring for
our patients,” notes Otte. “We rely on
Foundation funding to maintain important
components of our program.”
This issue of Caring Partners highlights
Cancer Center programs made possible
through your generosity. Thank you for the
essential role you play in caring for patients
with cancer.•
2 | mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving | Learn more | Donate

Your gifts at work
Navigators help patients find their way
New program launched thanks to your generosity
Janet has just been told she may have cancer.
She’s stunned. Fear wells up in her body.
People are talking, but she can’t grasp
what they’re saying. What was that about
additional tests? Where do I need to go?
Janet could use the help of a patient
navigator.
At the Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic
Health System in La Crosse, patient
navigators help support patients beginning
with the diagnostic process and continuing,
if needed, through treatment and beyond.
Your gifts allowed the new program
to be piloted earlier this year and fully
implemented this fall. Cancer guide Marti
Runyon and medical social worker Sue
Newman have expanded their roles as
patient navigators to help patients steer
through a maze of details and decisions.
“Diagnosing cancer can be a complex
process,” says Runyon. “To ensure patients
get the care and support they need, it’s
important that someone be really connected
to the patient experience from the start.”
It begins with a phone call.
“We call and introduce ourselves prior
to their first appointment, then meet them
at the door when they arrive. Patients
appreciate connecting with someone
before that first visit,” says Runyon.
“We offer to stay with them through the
entire appointment. Afterward, we follow
up to answer questions, confirm future
appointments and suggest referrals that
might be beneficial. We’ll continue to support
them throughout their care.”
Patient navigator programs in the United
States began as a way to address disparities
in care experienced by disadvantaged
groups. But even the most well-informed
and well-insured patients can benefit from a
navigator’s help.
“Patients are stressed,” notes Runyon.
“Their doctors have given them a lot
of information. There are multiple
appointments to be scheduled, insurance
forms to be completed and decisions to be
made. It can be overwhelming for anyone.”
Cancer centers offering patient navigation
programs have seen dramatic results.
Patients miss fewer appointments, make
fewer trips to the emergency department
and have fewer and shorter hospitalizations.
They also report much greater satisfaction
with their care.
“We want patients to know they are
not alone. This is a difficult time for
them. We’re here to make sure they get
the support they need, and the best
care possible,” says Runyon.•
Sue Newman
Medical social worker
Marti Runyon
Cancer guide
“To ensure patients get the care and support they need,
it’s important that someone be really connected to the
patient experience from the start.”
Marti Runyon
| 3

Your gifts at work
Supportive programs make cancer care unique
Your gifts help heal body, mind and spirit
With the approval of his doctors, Bill
Eddy delayed treating his prostate
cancer until he could move from
Connecticut to La Crosse.
The move had been planned for
some time, and Eddy’s doctors felt
the opportunity to be treated at a
Mayo facility was worth the wait.
“Back east I would have been
treated, gone home and had periodic
follow-up visits, but that’s about all,”
says Eddy. He found a very different
kind of care at Mayo Clinic Health
System’s Cancer Center.
“Here, you have all these programs
to help you heal not just physically,
but emotionally, too,” he says.
To treat his cancer, Eddy
underwent several weeks of radiation
therapy. He’s been cancer free for two
years now.
“You get great medical care at
the Cancer Center,” says Eddy, “but
it’s the wonderful staff and the
supportive programs that help you
get through the aftermath.”
An exercise class for cancer
patients was Eddy’s first venture
into the Cancer Center’s supportive
programs. “It really lifted my spirits
and made me feel much better,”
recalls Eddy. “After that, I took
advantage of every program I could,
including meditation, acupuncture,
Reiki and the support groups.”
Melissa Lockman was treated
in the Cancer Center after being
“You get great medical care
at the Cancer Center, but it’s
the wonderful staff and the
supportive programs that help
you get through the aftermath.”
Bill Eddy, Patient
diagnosed with breast cancer in
2010. She also took advantage of
the exercise program, Reiki and
support groups. She says she
especially benefited from educational
presentations on nutrition and coping
with stress and fatigue.
“Cancer can be as much an
emotional struggle as a physical
one,” says Lockman. “The supportive
programs help you rebuild your self
confidence and your spirit as your
body starts to heal.”
Both Eddy and Lockman continue
to participate in the monthly support
group.
Eddy notes, “You learn so much
from other people — how they cope,
how they adjust to lifestyle changes
— many things like that.”
Lockman’s experience echoes
Eddy’s. “The other participants help
you work through all the emotions,”
she says. “They celebrate with you
when you’re happy, and pick you up
when you’re down.”
Eddy adds, “There are so many
opportunities beyond direct
treatment of cancer that the Cancer
Center offers.” It’s heartfelt when
he says, “I’m glad that people
support these programs. I hope they
understand all the good they do for
people with cancer.”
Lockman agrees. “Cancer, for me,
was a journey with many highs and
lows — but I didn’t walk it alone.
I’m eternally grateful to the people
who give money to maintain these
programs that gave me so much
encouragement.”•
“Cancer, for me, was a journey with many highs and lows — but I didn’t
walk it alone. I’m eternally grateful to the people who give money to
maintain these programs that gave me so much encouragement.”
Melissa Lockman, Patient
Melissa Lockman, pictured with husband
Jamie, says cancer can be as much an
emotional as a physical struggle.
4 | mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving | Learn more | Donate

Your gifts at work
Reducing a barrier to a crucial cancer screening
Mammograms more comfortable, thanks to your support
A mammogram is a screening tool that
searches for breast cancer when symptoms
may not be apparent. Mammograms are
essential to early breast cancer detection and
help decrease breast cancer deaths.
So why do some patients avoid them?
“We know that discomfort is often cited as
a reason why women avoid mammograms,”
says Kathleen Christian, M.D., a breast
surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health System in
La Crosse. “We were looking for a way
to provide a more comfortable patient
experience.”
To achieve that goal, Bradley Weber,
director of diagnostic services, requested a
grant from the Foundation to fund the first
year of a new program.
Your support has made it possible for
mammography patients across the region to
benefit from the use of a special foam pad
during screenings, called a MammoPad. The
single-use pad is placed between the patient
and the surface of the mammography
device, resulting in a warmer, softer and
more comfortable mammogram.
Clinical studies have shown the pads
reduce mammography-related discomfort
by about 50 percent for most male and
female patients.
In addition to providing greater comfort,
the pads can also result in better imaging.
Less discomfort helps patients relax,
assisting with proper positioning and
sufficient compression — the key
components of a good mammogram.
Another study found technologists achieved
an average of 13 to 15 percent greater
compression when the pads were used.
Weber says patients have responded
positively since use of the pads began July 1.
“Patients have told us the pads make a
big difference. Many say they’ll no longer
dread their annual mammogram because
it’s so much more comfortable,” says Weber.
“We’ve also seen the benefits of the pads in
terms of enhanced imaging.”
Dr. Christian says mammograms are a
crucial screening tool. “We want to do all we
can to encourage patients to take advantage
of them. We’re so grateful to Foundation
benefactors for making it possible to
implement the program without delay.”•
Using MammoPads (in pink, below) reduces
mammogram discomfort by about 50 percent
for most patients. This enhancement to breast
care was made possible by your support.
Kathleen Christian, M.D.
Surgeon
Bradley Weber
Director
Diagnostic services
| 5

Your gifts at work
Oasis makes the cancer journey easier
Struggling patients and families benefit from your kindness
Knowing you care
helps Jessica Clark
stay optimistic as she
battles a rare blood
disease. She is shown
here with son Zachary
and daughter Arianna.
Life is tough. It’s even tougher when you
have cancer.
Your gifts to the Oasis Fund for Cancer
Patient Support directly impact patients
who struggle financially while undergoing
treatment at the Cancer Center at Mayo
Clinic Health System in La Crosse.
Here, three of those patients share their
stories – and their gratitude.
Jessica Clark
“Until I got sick, I always worked two jobs.
Now I have a hard time getting out of bed,”
says Jessica Clark of La Crosse. “Just cooking
a meal for my kids is exhausting.”
Clark has been receiving treatment at the
Cancer Center for a rare blood disease. She’d
just learned she would need a bone marrow
transplant when you first came to her aid.
“I was out of work, our house was going
into foreclosure and my car had just broken
down,” recalls Clark. “When [medical social
worker] Sue Newman told me Oasis could
help us get the car fixed, I cried.”
Your gifts to Oasis also made sure Clark
had two medications she desperately
needed.
“I had a lapse in my insurance. While
I was trying to get it straightened out, I
needed to get my blood thinners refilled,”
says Clark, whose disease puts her at
high risk for blood clots. Not taking her
medications could have been disastrous.
“Through Oasis, I was able to get a twoweek
supply that lasted until my insurance
kicked in. There’s no way I could have
afforded them myself.
“It’s such a relief knowing that if
something really drastic comes up, and
there’s no way I can take care of it myself,
there are people willing to help,” shares
Clark. “I’m so grateful that people care.”
Jim Downs
Jim Downs is undergoing a second and
particularly grueling round of chemotherapy
at the Cancer Center.
The first round put his cancer into
remission, but eight months later, it returned
with a vengeance. Now his best hope is a
procedure at Mayo Clinic that offers him a
50 percent chance of survival.
“Before I got sick, I used to throw $5 into
a canister to help people with cancer. I didn’t
think much of it,” says Downs, who lives in
Tomah. “Now I know how much that help
means to someone who really needs it.”
Downs lost his machinist job a few
months before his initial diagnosis. He had
6 | mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving | Learn more | Donate

Jim Downs travels 105 miles round trip for his
chemotherapy treatments. Your support ensures
he won’t run out of gas on the way home.
insurance, but the loss of income and added
expenses took their toll.
“Our bills are piling up. Everything’s
about to be shut off. Without help from
Oasis, I couldn’t afford to drive the 105 miles
round trip for my treatments.”
Your gifts to Oasis provided Clark with
several gas cards. He says, “It relieves a lot
of stress to know I won’t run out of gas on
the way home.”
Clark has a special reason for sharing his
story. “I hope people will see how much
their donations mean to patients. I want
to say thank you. If I get through this, I’m
determined to give to Oasis myself, to
help people going through what I’ve been
through.”
LauraJean Peterson
LauraJean Peterson was diagnosed with
stage III breast cancer in February and
underwent a double mastectomy.
“A few weeks later, I began chemotherapy
at the Cancer Center,” she recalls. “I have
two treatments left, then it’s on to radiation.”
Peterson lives in Sparta with her husband
and five children, ages 3 to 15.
“We have only one vehicle we can all
fit into,” she says. “It broke down recently
and was in the shop when I went in for my
chemo. I was visiting with Sue Newman
when the shop called with the estimate. It was
bad news. The repairs would cost over $700.”
Newman knew Peterson wasn’t working
and that money was tight. Thanks to your
generosity, Newman was able to offer the
family some much-needed support.
“I was flabbergasted when Sue said Oasis
could help with the repair,” Peterson says.
“Without that help, it would have been weeks
before we could have afforded to get it fixed.”
The vehicle provides more than just
transportation for Peterson and her family.
“The only vacation we had planned this
summer was a week up north at my sisterin-law’s
cabin. It was a chance for us to hang
out for a while as a family. We couldn’t have
made the trip without the help from Oasis.
I can’t tell you how much it meant to us.”
Thank you for providing an oasis for
patients and families along the cancer
journey.•
Thanks to your generosity,
LauraJean Peterson and
her husband Jim didn’t
have to cancel a much
anticipated trip with their
five children.
| 7

Your gifts at work
Study shows use of symptom checklist improves care
Your investment in medical research yields benefits for patients
A study performed at the Cancer Center at
Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse
is translating into better care and a better
quality of life for area cancer patients.
Your gifts in support of medical research
helped fund the study.
The findings of “Therapy Related
Symptom Checklist Use During Treatments
at a Cancer Center” were published recently
in Cancer Nursing, a nursing journal.
The study compared a control group of
patients receiving standard care to a group
of patients receiving standard care and
completing the Therapy Related Symptom
Checklist (TRSC) at appointments, prior to
meeting with their health care provider.
The TRSC was designed to be quickly
and easily completed. Patients were asked
to consider 25 common treatment-related
symptoms and rate how affected they were
by each, from 0 (no symptom) to 4 (very
severe). Then, the health care provider
reviewed the patient’s completed TRSC
during the appointment.
Researchers found an increased number of
symptoms were documented and managed
when patients completed the TRSC. These
patients also showed improved healthrelated
quality of life over patients who did
not complete the TRSC. Additionally, they
were more satisfied with their care.
Earlier research performed by two of
the study’s authors at other facilities
showed symptoms of concern to
patients were under-documented
and often weren’t discussed during
visits. Use of the TRSC improved
symptom reporting and generated
important discussion between patient
and provider.
Thanks to your support, this research
is now benefiting patients beyond the
region as other cancer centers adopt
use of the checklist.•
Mayo Clinic
launches Proton
Beam Therapy
Program
Patient/philanthropist
donates $100 million
to project
Mayo Clinic is launching a Proton Beam
Therapy Program at its Rochester,
Minn., and Scottsdale, Ariz., locations.
The first treatment room will be
available for patients in 2015.
The program will feature intensitymodulated
proton beam therapy exclusively.
This is an advancement over traditional
radiotherapy because the radiation beam
is targeted only to the tumor, better
sparing surrounding tissue from harm.
Treatment rooms will be equipped with
pencil beam scanning, the latest form
of proton beam therapy, which uses
spot scanning to “paint” dots of protons
back and forth through a tumor.
Proton beam therapy will be used to
treat many kinds of cancers located
deep within the body and close to
critical organs and body structures,
especially in children and young adults.
This exciting advancement in cancer care
is made possible by the generosity of
Richard O. Jacobson, a Mayo patient and
philanthropist, who donated $100 million
to the Proton Beam Therapy Program. The
Rochester facility will be named in his honor.
8 | mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving | Learn more | Donate

Gift planning
Your IRA is worth more as a charitable gift
Leave an individual retirement account (IRA)
to your children or siblings and you may be
leaving them almost nothing.
IRAs are excellent vehicles for accumulating
assets for your use during retirement, but they
are terrible for transferring wealth to others.
Those who inherit IRAs may find them seriously
depleted by taxes — unless the recipient is a
charitable entity like Mayo Clinic Health System
— Franciscan Healthcare Foundation.
Tax rules
Like other investments and savings, IRAs
may be subject to federal estate tax in estates
where federal estate taxes apply. What most
people don’t realize, however, is that all IRA
distributions carry an income tax liability,
too, which carries over to your designated
beneficiaries. This double bite of income and
estate taxes often leaves little for your heirs.
Only a surviving spouse can “roll over”
an inherited IRA distribution to his or her
own IRA, called a Spousal Rollover IRA, and
further delay receiving distributions (and
hence income taxation) until his or her own
date for required distributions, typically age
70½. Other recipients are not eligible to roll
over their proceeds, although some may choose
to “stretch out” their inherited amount over
time with taxable payments
beginning immediately.
Preserve your assets
IRA transfers to charitable
organizations after your lifetime,
however, eliminate estate and
income taxes. Estate planners
often advise clients to consider
a charitable gift at death of
your remaining IRA funds simply because
an IRA is worth far more to a tax-exempt
organization than it is to heirs, net of tax.
You can leave your remaining IRA
funds to the Foundation, preserving
100 percent of them to support our
work rather than giving up a significant
portion to taxes.
Your IRA plan administrator or estate
planning attorney can assist you in
arranging to name us as the primary or
secondary beneficiary for a percentage of
your IRAs.
Your next step
To learn more about this or other gift
options, please contact Peter Grabow at
608-392-9394 or grabow.peter@mayo.edu.
Estate planners often
advise clients to
consider a charitable
gift at death of your
remaining IRA funds
simply because an
IRA is worth far more
to a tax-exempt
organization than it is
to heirs, net of tax.
$100,000 IRA Bequest to Heirs Versus System — Franciscan Healthcare Foundation
Beneficiary
Heirs
Franciscan Healthcare
Foundation
Federal Estate Tax
(Assumed 35 Percent Marginal
Estate Tax Bracket)
Net Amount Subject to
Federal Income Tax
Federal Income Tax
(Assumed 28 Percent Marginal
Income Tax Bracket)
($35,000) $0
$65,000 $0
($18,200) $0
Net Amount to IRA Beneficiary $46,800 $100,000
© The Stelter Company
The information in this publication
is not intended as legal advice.
For legal advice, please consult an
attorney. Figures cited in examples
are for hypothetical purposes
only and are subject to change.
References to estate and income
taxes include federal taxes only.
State income/estate taxes or state
law may impact your results.
| 9

Remembering Family and Friends
Gifts in Memory
Memorial gifts provide an opportunity to honor
and remember loved ones while helping to sustain
essential health care services in the community.
Sr. M. Aloysius
Sr. M. Juliana
A
Bernard Adams
Charlotte Adams
Joan Adams
Donald Albitz
Pauline Albitz
Peter Paul Albrecht
Kenneth Aleckson
Scott Allen
Leland Alsteen
Edwin & Shirley
Amberg
Charles E. Anderson
Diane Anderson
Everett J. Anderson
John Arity
Clinton Armstrong
Kyle Arndt
Sally Ausich
B
Alfred Bahr
Arlene Bahr
Natalie Baker
Tom Baker
Robert Bakewell
Ruth Banasik
Tom Banasik
Ruth Bannen
James Barry
Ingibjorg Bartley
Charlotte Bean
Kathleen Beck
Janice Beeler
Eloise Bell
Kerry Bell
Harold Bentzen
Sharon Beranek
Frances Berens
Florence Berg
Joyce Berge
Robert Bernd
Roland Berns
Richard Betsinger
Hunter Biermeier
Mary Biller
Linda Bjorge
Bernard Bleske, Jr.
Lucille Bloss
Tammy Boardman
Blaine Bockenhauer
Raymond Boessel
Gracie Bohland
Joseph Boland
LaVerne Boland
Ken Boswell
Jane K. Bouse
Leo Bouska
Aleda Bouwman
Laura Ann Bowen
Nancy Bowen
Ardy Brague
Jim Brenengen
Everett A. Breyer
Frank & Helen Breza
Maynard Brostrom
Norm & Edith Brown
Paul Brown
Maureen Bryant
Virgil Bue
Debra Buhr
Delores Burmaster
Richard Butterfield
Sandra Butterfield
C
James Caggiano, Sr.
Donna Calkins
Norma Carlson
Marguerite Caya
Helen Chapin
Darrell Chapman
Renetta Cholewa
Sara Christianson
Jim Chritton
Ernabelle Cina
Leo Clark
Thomas J. Clark, Sr.
Richard Coaty
Richard Colgan
Edward Colsch
Robert Colsch
James Connor
Dale Conrad
Burton & Mary Cook
Karen Cook
Leonard Cooper
Della C. Coots
Mary Cota
Leo Court
Doris Cox
D
Dr. Ruth M. Dalton
Gerald Davis
Lynn DeBauche
Walter Decker
Kathy DeGaetano
Anita Degenhardt
Robert Degenhardt
Maribeth Deming
Janice Denny
John Deusterman
Marlin Deyo
Billy Dick
Peggy Dinger
Dennis Doonan
Robert Drier
Howard Duffy
Dorothy Dunahee
Arlan Dwyer
Richard J. Dwyer
E
Ruth Eide
Gayleen Eilers
Dr. Martin Erlandson
Sharon Esch
Kenneth Espenes
F
Donald Faas
Dorothy Fairchild
Lloyd &
Evelyn Falke
Neil Farris
Roy Fass Family
Brian Fawcett
Edmund G. Feiock
Evelyn Felbinger
Marie Fernette
Neosia Ferris
Joyce Fierst
Carla Figgie
Sally Fink
James J. Finn
Mildred Finn
Alice Finstuen
Albert Forer
Mary Forer
Frank Fradette
Raymond Frank
Marlin Frick
Brad Frohmader
Albert P. Funk, Jr.
G
Leah Gabriel
John R. Gaines
Lucy H. Gaines
Frederick Garbers
Maria Gasper
Kristine M.
Gates Bissen
Artis Gaustad
Mary Gavin
Elsie Genz
Patrick George
Delores Gerke
Virginia Gerke
Delos Germann
Margaret M.
Germanson
Thomas Gilbertson
Helen Gilles
Harriette Gleason
Lanny Glenn
Ruth Goggin
Dan Gordon
Donna Grade
Russell O. Grant
William Grayburn
Kathy Green
Mary Lou Green
Francis & Mary
Grenisen
Rodney Groth
Miriam & Ewald
Gustafson
Marjorie Gutknecht
H
Clara Haag
Donald Haag
Daniel Hach
Michael Hafner
Robert Hagen
Delores Halik
Shirley Hanan
Bernard Hansen
Evenelle Hansen
Patricia Hansen
John Hanson
Doris Hanssen
Thomas Harris
Clara Harter
Rolf Hatling
Dr. Jon Havenstrite
Frank Heasley
Ed Hei
Steven Heim
Agatha Heimer
Glenn Heintz
Calvin Helming
Edward Hengel, Sr.
Poua Her
Elizabeth Herold
Inez Hertzfeldt
Paul and
Dorothy Hess
Lillian Hill
Verna Hjelsand
Agnes Hoaglund
Stanley Hoaglund
Audrey Hodge
Dorothy Hoesley
Virgil Hoff
Norman Holler
Elaine Holliday
Dorothy Horstman
Sara Hougom
Neil Howe
Rebecca Howe
Fred B. Howly
George & Lillian
Huebner Family
Zeta Huerkamp
Peter Hundt
Marlin G. Hunkins
Joan Hyde
J
Alberta Jacobson
Francis Jacobson
Gabriel Janusheske
John Jenco
Darrell Jenkins
Sr. Yvonne Jenn
Arthur Jensen
Douglas Jensen
Larry Jernigan
Alverta Johnson
Betty Johnson
Helen Johnson
Janice Johnson
Linda Johnson
Mary Johnson
Robert Johnson
Ronald T. Johnson
Russell Johnson
Donald Jordan
Leonard Jorgenson
Alice Jorstad
Margaret Julian
K
Joachim Kamla
Margaret Kang
Lester Kastenschmidt
Joan Kastman
Gene Keehn
Dr. Kent E. Keller
Helen Kellogg
Roy Kemerling
Charles Kennedy
Curtis Kennedy
Fred Kerska
Sandra Kidd
Phyllis Kilmer
Richard & Mary
Kimmet
Beverly King
William King
Donald Kirby
Marjorie Kirchoff
Charles Kirkey
Earl Kleckner
Skyler J. Klotz
Dorothy Klug
Ruth Knutson
Dorene Koby
Gertrude Kolter
Audrey Korn
John R. Kortebein
Joseph Kotnour
Leo Kraft
Mary Jane Kramer
Alfred Krause
Alvina M. Krause
Janet Krismer
Evelyn Kron
Raymond Kroner
Veronica Kuderer
James Kudronowicz
Violet Kunert
L
Pauline Lachman
William & Edith
Lampert
Richard Landwehr
Joseph R. Lang
Virgil Lang
Don Langan
Jeanette Larkin
Lester Larson
Patricia Larson
Ronald Larson
Gary Lassig
Margaret Lau
Dorothy Lauerman
Lawrence
Laufenberg
Dorothy A. Lawrence
Jim Lawrence
Helen Lehrke
Cynthia Leis
Kathy Leitner
Hulda Lemke
William Lemke
Jean Lepore
Robert Lettner
Phyllis Lewis
Virgil Lewis
10 | mayoclinichealthsystem.org/giving | Learn more | Donate

Donations were received in memory of the following individuals between July 2011 and June 2012.
Memorials are published quarterly in The La Crosse Tribune and can be viewed near the main
lobby of our La Crosse hospital.
Alice Lichtie
Joyce Lichtie
Edna Lietke
Peg Lilgegren
Marjorie Lindsay
Marie Lockhart
Eugene Loeffler
John Loomis
Mike Loomis
Robert Loomis
Anthony Lorenz
Peter Losby
Bonnie Lovejoy
Edward Luckett
George R. Luther, Sr.
Raymond &
Ann Lyga
M
Herald Maak
Robert Mack
Cargill MacMillan, Jr.
Dorothy Mader
Gordon Madison
Evelyn Maher
James Malay
Robert Malay
Bonnie Malzacher
Mrs. Mandeville
Mary Maney
Joseph Marco
Dave Marley
Art & Iola Marohl
Kim Marson
James Martin
Vernon Martinson
Nick Matheny
Richard Mauss
Romelle Mauss
George McCabe
Blaine McDowell
Thomas F. McDowell
Orlea McFarlin
Kathrine McHenry
Charles McKittrick
Kenneth McLees
James E. McLoone
Helen Meiners
Marvin Meiners
Harry Meinking
Matt Merfeld
Cecelia Meyers
George Meyers
Howard Meyers
Steven Meyers
Chad Mezera
Richard Mickschl
Suzanne Mickschl
Evelyn Miller
Virginia Miller
Georganna Mishler
Danny Mitby
Vicki Mitchell
Richard Mitton
Joan C. Moen
Tony & Elaine
Molina
Katherine Moore
Joyce Morris
Kenneth Mueller
Raymond Muller
David. Murphy, Sr.
Leo Murphy
Hugh Murray
Jane Musbach
Olivia Mutschler
George R. Myer
N
Vera Nagle
Gary Nekola
David R. Nelson
Evelyn Nelson
Marilyn Nelson
Mary Nelson
Maxine Nelson
Mae Nicolai
Arnold Niedfeldt
Frank Nintemann
Leonard Norby
Chester Nordstrom
O
Lori Sue Obert
Mildred Olsen
Basil Olson
Fern Olson
Frances Olson
Gordon Olson
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Dorothy Olson
Marie Olson
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Ralph Onsrud
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Marjorie Overton
P
Jack C. Padesky
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Roger Papenfuss
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Pavela
Mark David Peacock
Carrol D. Pederson
Albert Penchi
Arnold Pendleton
Ardell Peterson
Ethelyn Peterson
James Peterson
June Peterson
Richard Peterson
Harold Peth
Candice Phelps
John Pintz
Leona Piperno
Robert C. Pittman
Norman Poudrier
Elzie Powell
Gary Pratt
Virginia Price
Agnes Prochazka
Juanita Puder
Raymond Puent
Joanne Putz
Q
Gladys Quinn
JoAnn Quinn
R
Mary Jeanne Rady
Adeline Reinhardt
Marjorie Reinhart
Josie Reining
Loretta Reinsvold
Thomas Renwick
Frank Rhodes
Gene Rhodes
Walter P. Riley
Edward Roesler
Donald Rokusek
Louise Roob
Helen F. Roraff
Leonard &
Eleanor Roraff
Molly Rosenow
Reay Ross
William F. Ross
William G. Ross
Kent Rotering
Clarmont Rothering
Allen Rugg
Don Ruud
Doris Ruud
Melvin Ruud
S
William Sandman
Milly Sather
James Sauer
Cynthia (Bilyeu)
Scargall
Norman Schaller
Alfred Schaper
Leonard Schleis
Herbert Schmidt
Lucille I. Schmidt
Mary Schmidt
Carol Schneider
Barbara Schneyer
Lynn Schneyer
Anita Schnick
Catherine Schoen
Paul & Agnes
Schreier
Helen Schroeder
Carl & Helen
Schubert
Mary Ann Schubert
Mary Schucht
Constance Schultz
Edward Schultz
Ralph Schultz
William Schuth, Jr.
Rosalyne Schwaab
Kenneth E. Schwartz
Gerald Schwertel
Eugene Schwirtz
Marilyn Sciborski
Carla Seibert
Elaine Selke
Diana Serres
Maxine Sheely
Richard Sherer
Sally Sherer
Nancy Sieger
Irene J. Sill
Clinton Sinclair
Eliza Skemp
Dr. George &
Mary Skemp
Blyden Skogen
Vivian Skoy
Bernice Slaby
Constance Slaby
George Snapp. Jr.
Brad Snyder
Martha Snyder
Richard Snyder
Angeline Sobotta
Mary Beth Soller
Martin Sorenson
Nora Spencer
Michael Stacey
Judith Stahl
Genevieve Stark
Arlys Steele
Daniel Steers
Daniel Steinhoff
Sylvia Stetzer
Terry Stetzer
Ruth Stevens
Verna Stevenson
Michael Stoker
Roger Stoll
Earl J. Storandt
Daniel Strangstalien
Lucy Strasser
Gloria Strupp
James Stumpf
William Styba
Michael Subjek
William Sugg
Catherine Sullivan
Irene Sweeney
Leo Sweeney
Mary Lucille Swing
Walter Swinghamer
T
Marie D. Tauscher
Francis Taylor
Thomas P. Terry
Mavis Thesing
Norma Thiesse
Dale Thomas
Wayne Thomforde
Valera G. Thoreson
Gale Timm
John Michael Tischer
Molly Ann Tischer
Michael Tischer
Celestine Toenies
Lucy Tooke
Paul Tracey
Theodore Trierweiler
U
Mary Unseth
V
Donald Vaaler
Lamar Vanmeter
Margo Varo
Peter Vick
Debra Kay Villarreal
Matthew Von Arx
Phillip Vonruden
Howard Voss
W
Claybon Wallis
James Walsh
P.R. Walsh Family
Bernice Weber
George P. Weber
Frederick Wege
Helen Weiker
Jerry Weis
Shirley Weiss
Donald C. Welch
Mary Welch
LaVern Welke
Alma Wells
Kay Welper
Elaine Wendt
Mary Westergard
Allen Westfahl
Lee Weymiller
Lynor Wheeler
Robert White
Clifford Wieman
Altheia Wiemer
Ardis Wilkening
Dennis Wilson
Mildred Witt
Robert L. Wittenberg
Donald Wolfe
Robert & Violet
Wolfe
Donald Wood
Henry & Vada
Wooden
Marjorie Wuensch
Harold Wunnecke
X
Mai Xiong Lee
Z
Francis Zahn
Raymond Zeller
June Zemke
Lloyd Zimmerman
Francis Znidarsich
Gerard (Gary)
Znidarsich
| 11

Franciscan Healthcare Foundation
700 West Ave S
La Crosse, WI 54601-4796
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Mayo Clinic
Local couple leaves bequest to medical center
Norm and Edith Brown extend thanks for a lifetime of care
Norm and Edith Brown couldn’t have been more different,
yet somehow they were a perfect match.
He was friendly and outgoing with a personality that
filled a room. A notoriously bad tipper, it’s said even
waitresses couldn’t resist his charm.
Edith was quiet and reserved. She was happy to let Norm
do most of the talking.
Throughout their lives, Norm and Edith received all their
medical care at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, a
place they fondly referred to as “St. Francis.” For years, both
were cared for by John Ujda, M.D., a now-retired internal
medicine doctor. Outside of scheduled appointments, Norm
would often drop by to chat, followed by a stop at the
hospital’s bakery.
Norm had, as he often said, “a bad ticker.” After he passed
away in 2003, Edith was never quite the same.
A few years after Norm’s death, Dr. Ujda retired. His
replacement, T. Scott Cunningham, D.O., whom Edith
always referred to as “the new guy,” had big shoes to fill.
Eventually she conceded, “The
new guy is pretty good too.”
After her death in February
this year, the Foundation learned
Norm and Edith Brown
Norm and Edith had left a
bequest to the medical center in
gratitude for the care they had received.
“It’s apparent Norm and Edith were devoted to each
other and to special causes,” says Foundation executive
director Peter Grabow. “To be among them is humbling.”
Though the couple lived a modest lifestyle, their gift was
substantial.
“Next month, next year and far beyond, patients will
benefit from their kindness,” says Grabow. “Not knowing
about the bequest until after Norm and Edith passed,
we weren’t able to thank them. I wish we’d had that
opportunity. They were true philanthropists, and their gift is
so important.”•
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