A Decade’s worth of Dedication: A Member’s Reflections

Dec 22, 2021 | Rosemary, Volunteer Mentor | @rosemarya | Comments (18)

As Mayo Clinic Connect celebrates its 10th anniversary, Rosemary Huckleberry, better known as @rosemarya, reflects on the evolution of the past 10 yearsMayo Clinic Connect’s and her own from member to mentor. 

Rosemary and Mayo brothers at Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Here I am just one year after my transplant, sitting with the Mayo brothers on the steps outside the Gonda Building at Mayo Clinic, Rochester.

In 2009 I received a liver and kidney transplant at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. After returning home post recovery, I wanted to learn more about living life as an organ transplant recipient. That’s when I discovered Mayo Clinic Connect.

Because I trusted the Mayo Clinic name, I felt comfortable joining an online social network for the first time. I thought by becoming a member of Mayo Clinic Connect, I could meet another transplant recipient—someone like me with whom I could share and learn. I was eager to know more. 

One day someone asked a question I knew I could answer. We had the same health condition! To my surprise, I was looking for support for myself, and instead, I found people asking questions about many of the things I had already experienced. It felt natural for me to talk about parts of my own health journey with liver failure and organ transplant to support and encourage others. I like to think that by sharing my story, patients and loved ones find comfort in realizing they are not alone and that there is always hope.

Back in 2011, Mayo Clinic Connect interactions were more limited. A member asked something, another answered, maybe. It led to short, one-to-one exchanges between two or few people. At the time, I thought it was terrific, learning along with others. Looking back, I can see that there wasn’t the sense of community there is today. Moderators, mentors, and active members make it a priority to welcome new members, introduce them to other members, share knowledge, and encourage connections and conversations. It’s much more like gathering together around the coffee table and benefitting from the wisdom and experiences of many.

I’ve been a volunteer mentor since the mentor program was introduced in 2016. When invited to become a mentor, it was natural to say yes. I saw this as a way to support and uplift others like myself. Through group conversations, I like to help people learn more about their condition, ask questions, and be more prepared for talking with their medical team.

The most rewarding part of being a mentor is the ability to touch others. I can extend my hand and send a gentle virtual squeeze to someone hundreds of miles away. I like that. One of my biggest joys is when a member shares that they have received a successful organ transplant.

In 2016, I started a discussion called Living Life after Your Transplant, where I invited members to share their tips for everyday practical living with a transplant. The Mayo Clinic transplant staff synthesized the knowledge and advice shared in that conversation to create a blog post and a video (click the link to see the discussion, the blog, and the video we made). The video was shared with patients via the Mayo Clinic app and was also uploaded to Mayo's YouTube. I could never have imagined that Mayo staff would have used information from a patient discussion as they did! 

A highlight for me as a long time member and mentor was being interviewed on Mayo Clinic Radio about the value of the online patient community. What a thrill to be acknowledged and to represent the community.

Member Spotlights are a fun way to learn about members. I stepped out of my comfort zone and volunteered to conduct member interviews along with fellow Spotlight team mentors @hopeful33250 and @johnbishop. I enjoy helping members tell their stories.

Mayo Clinic Connect has had a bright past and it will continue to have a bright future. I would like to see continued emphasis on mentors and members guiding and encouraging members to be advocates for themselves. I hope Connect is a resource for medical professionals to learn what patients say they need, and use these insights to help improve their relationships with patients for better care. 

Above all, I would like Mayo Clinic Connect members to know that, even when they may not think they express themselves very well, what they have to say is important. 

Come join me around the conversation table. Your contributions make a difference.

Interested in more newsfeed posts like this? Go to the About Connect: Who, What & Why blog.

Thank you @rosemarya for these reflections and your dedication. I love the podcast! Both you and @colleenyoung did such an amazing job telling everyone what Connect is all about and spreading the word.

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@colleenyoung, @rosemarya, @johnbishop...
Lovely to see you both, Colleen and Rosemary. Enjoyed your chat. Thank you for the wonderful gift of Connect.

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@ess77

@colleenyoung, @rosemarya, @johnbishop...
Lovely to see you both, Colleen and Rosemary. Enjoyed your chat. Thank you for the wonderful gift of Connect.

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@ess77, That is a lovely thing to say!
Connect is a gift made possible to me because of my gift of my organ transplant at Mayo in Rochester. I have a memory to share with you, A gift of a dream come true. The photo that I shared here is of me and the Mayo Brothers. It is on the Mayo Rochester Campus. For 13 weeks my husband and I lived at the Gift of Life Transplant House and rode the patient shuttle to and from the clinic. I used see patients and visitors posing with this sculpture. My dream was that someday I too could pose there, too. So, on my 1st annual follow up visit to Rochester, with a healthy kidney and liver, my dream came true.
Elizabeth, thank you for your participation and your encouragement on Connect.

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This was great! It was wonderful to see you both and hear your familiar kind voices speaking for all of us on Connect. Kudos @colleenyoung and @rosemarya

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This interview, and all it represents, has me shedding a few tears of appreciation, and gratitude that you 2 are part of my Mayo Contect Family. Thank you!
Sue

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Wonderfully expressed podcast and article! Thank you @colleenyoung and @rosemarya for all that you do to help and support the Connect Community! And, my great appreciation for Mayo and it’s vision and support of Connect. Athena

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@rosemarya I really enjoyed learning about your story Rosemary and your Mentor path with Connect. Both you and Colleen were so well spoken and informative in the podcast. Great job and way to represent!

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@rosemarya I knew you were a bright star since I joined here on connect, but the more I know the more I realize what a gem in the sky that you truly are. Thank you for all the hard work you do on connect. I know you always say it was nothing but I know it isn’t and you deserve every kind word we can come up with.
@colleenyoung I am sure that connect could not be what it is without you at the helm. I have no idea where the ability to monitor the hundreds of conversations and just know when you are needed in one comes from, but you are truly amazing.
Thank you both for all that you do, and here’s to another 10 years of Mayo Connect.

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@rosemarya and @colleenyoung

Such a good article about Connect's 10th anniversary! Happy anniversary to us all who are part of this great online support group. I know that we have all interacted with other patients who were frightened and felt all alone, as we once did. That is the great quality of Connect is being able to share our experiences with each other.

Rosemary, you always do such a fantastic job being a cheerleader for Connect. Your enthusiasm and more importantly your gratitude make your thoughts even more special! Thank you for being such a steady, stable rock for Connect.

Colleen, it is hard to put into words all that you do to make Connect a welcoming and warm place for everyone to share their feelings. You are amazing, and I'm glad that you are the captain of our vessel that carries sharing and caring to people who are in need of compassion!

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Mayo Brothers - I did not know who they were... see below

Charles Mayo
William Mayo. Brothers and outstanding surgeons (doctors who perform operations) William Mayo and Charles Mayo, along with their father William Worrall Mayo, founded the world-famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, ...
Family practice. ...
Work during wartime. ...

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