Well, I never thought I would be thankful for my high school English teacher. She was a stickler. She would always say, "If you want to be a good writer, you have to read good books." Well, I took that to heart and started reading the classics and low and behold she was right. I became a better writer and it is serving me well on Connect! I'd say thank you to her, if I could remember her name😊. Even though I can't remember her name, I do remember her instructions and I still read, read and read~

I never thought I would be thankful for a career I left behind. After earning a biology degree, I worked in a university research lab and worked as a lab assistant on neuro-anatomy research studies that were published in scientific journals. I first heard about Mayo Clinic from a post doctoral fellow who worked in the lab with the professor. Having that background helped me understand scientific and medical literature, and that was what brought me to Mayo as a patient years later. I had an unusual presentation of symptoms for a spine problem, and none of the local doctors understood the issues and none would not help me. It was by reading the literature of a Mayo doctor, and looking up terminology, that lead me to find medical literature with cases that were similar to mine. I came to Mayo and had corrective surgery with that doctor and a great recovery. It changed my life in many ways, and I am grateful.