Connect
TERESA: What brought you to Mayo Clinic Connect?
@dsh33782: I did a Google search looking for a support group about living with glaucoma and found Mayo Clinic Connect. It was encouraging to see how open and caring the members are.
TERESA: What motivates you to take part in the community?
@dsh33782: I enjoy interacting with others and learning more about current issues of interest on Mayo Clinic Connect. Members are very open about their own issues and willing to share what they have learned.
TERESA: What support groups do you participate in?
@dsh33782: I primarily take part in the discussions in
TERESA: Tell us about a meaningful moment on Mayo Clinic Connect.
@dsh33782: I found it most helpful to interact with other members who had experience with esophageal cancer when I was first diagnosed with a large cancerous tumor in my lower esophagus. I was nervous and scared after reading that survival rates over 5 years were less than 20%. Members on Mayo Clinic Connect gave me hope. From their stories, I learned that there are survivors who have been living for many years with esophageal cancer and that each case is different. The treatments keep improving as research continues.
TERESA: What energizes you, or how do you find balance in your life?
@dsh33782: I am still recovering from 28 days of radiation and chemotherapy, but I feel better every day and have more energy.
TERESA: Tell us about your favorite pastime or activity.
@dsh33782: I enjoy developing computer software in Java and in a mainframe assembler, called Z390 Portable Mainframe Assembler and Emulator.
TERESA: Do you have a favorite quote, life motto or personal mantra?
@dsh33782: “Everything is as it should be.” I heard this at a rational living class I took a long time ago. It’s a good reminder that life is what it is and we need to deal with it.
I also like “Nothing to excess.”
TERESA: What do you appreciate the most in your friends?
@dsh33782: I appreciate that my friends are comfortable sharing and listening.
TERESA: What food can you simply not resist?
@dsh33782: Potato chips.
TERESA: If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see cast as you?
@dsh33782: Tom Hanks
TERESA: What do you love about where you live or vacation?
@dsh33782: I like the warm weather so I can wear shorts and t-shirts.
TERESA: Puppies or kittens?
@dsh33782: Puppies. We had Precious for 15 years.
Member Spotlights feature interviews with fellow Connect members. Learn more about members you’ve connected with and some you haven’t met yet. Nominate a member you think should share the spotlight.
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@dsh33782
Thanks for the opportunity to interview you for the Spotlight! I'm so glad that the Connect community has an opportunity to get to know you better.
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7 ReactionsCongratulations on your Spotlight, Don @dsh33782! I'm glad you found the encouragement you needed from Connect to realize that each case truly can be different. Hope, optimism and mindset go a long way. Wishing continued energy and healing in your journey.
PS: Tom Hanks seems like a great fit! 😉
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7 ReactionsI like hearing how Connect had helped inspire, encourage, and educate others in their medical journeys as it had done me. I can relate to things you said, esp shirts & t-shirts and please have Old Bay Seasoning on my potato chips! Im curious if you picked a serious Tom Hanks (as in Philadelphia) or a unique Tom as in Forrest Gump… (though the famous line “Life is like a box of chocolates” is pretty good)
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7 ReactionsSomebody read Voltaire!
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5 ReactionsDon, @dsh33782
I just read the Spotlight. It is so inspiring. I look forward to getting to know you better.
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4 ReactionsHello @dsh33782 it is so nice to meet you, and learn more about you. I absolutely love your quote “everything is as it should be”.
I think this is the easiest way for me to reduce stress, is reminding myself that it just is the life we live.
I love how courageously you are going for life after cancer. I say after because I am just going to believe that you beat it all the way down.
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8 ReactionsDon, I enjoy being a newbie with you. You have an interesting background and a great motto. I often say “If it was easy, anyone could do it.” In your case, “If life was easy …”
I hope we serve together for many years to come.
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6 ReactionsWhat a lovely interview of an interesting fellow. I came to this site after a life-threatening diagnosis and have found many wonderful people and tons of useful information. I love the quote "Everything is as it should be". I feel very lucky to be able to say that too. Good luck in your recovery Friend!
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3 Reactions@dsh33782, I love the photo of you ringing the bell - Congratulations!
I enjoyed reading your spotlight! I commend for your strength and determination to accept your health condition and for sharing your experience to encourage others.
I hope that your recovery will continue to keep you feeling better!
I'll bet that ringing the bell was emotional. Does the bell ringing happen on the final day of treatment?
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2 ReactionsRosemary
Thanks, I am now signed up for an endoscopy on Monday, May 1 and then PET scan on May 3. I'm hoping for good news. Wonder how much of the tumor is left in my lower esophagus and if they will try to remove it?
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3 Reactions