Discovery Health Channel Series Offers Glimpse Behind the Walls of Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic
Tuesday, 4 November 2003

Mayo Clinic will be featured as part of a series of national television broadcasts that will begin later this month. "Lifeline: Mayo Clinic," a four-part series on the Discovery Health Channel, will premiere on Friday, Nov. 14, at 9 p.m. CST.

The series documents the dramatic stories of real patients in a "veritas" or as-it-happens style. It follows patients through their first doctor visits through their hopeful journeys toward discovery of the source of their medical problems and treatment that will make a difference in their lives.

"We're excited to offer people an opportunity for a glimpse into the Mayo Clinic patient experience," says Hugh Smith, M.D., chair, Board of Governors of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "The series will provide those who have never been to Mayo Clinic with an opportunity to experience the inner workings of how medicine is practiced here, as told from our patients' perspectives."

Discovery Health Channel's Vice President of Production Donald Thoms says the "Lifeline: Mayo Clinic," series "portrays Mayo Clinic as a place to go when all other hope is gone, a place full of brilliant doctors and nurses who care. We will show our viewers cases they have never seen before. They will witness the solving of cases that others might have given up on."

Tremendous! Entertainment, a TV and film production company based in Minneapolis, filmed the series at Mayo Clinic for the Discovery Health Channel over a period of seven months.

Colleen Needles Steward, president and CEO of Tremendous! Entertainment, says, "I think people should watch this series for a couple of reasons. First, I think they'll be entertained and moved by the human drama portrayed and played out everyday at Mayo Clinic. Second, I think they will learn a lot about how medicine is practiced, how treatments are developed and how the team approach to medicine works at Mayo Clinic."

Needles Steward says that her interest in depicting Mayo Clinic stemmed partly from her own experiences at Mayo Clinic. "I wanted to profile Mayo Clinic because I personally think the world of the place. I've been treated at Mayo Clinic myself and know that when it comes to finding answers and getting outstanding medical care, there isn't a better place on earth to go. In short, if we're going to expend the time and energy to pursue a medical hospital-based series, why not profile the best?"

The series will portray the elements that historically have drawn patients to Mayo Clinic since the time of the Mayo brothers and the feelings the mere existence of Mayo Clinic evokes in many, according to Dr. Smith.

"We know from our research that Mayo Clinic engenders in our patients and other consumers a sense of confidence, safety, hope and serenity," he says. "We are confident this series will capture the essence of Mayo Clinic's tradition of excellence: a tradition built on coordinated teams of compassionate experts diagnosing and treating complex medical problems and discovering pioneering ways to continuously offer patients better care."

Needles Steward says she thinks that some of what "Lifeline: Mayo Clinic" captures on film will impress and even surprise viewers who have never been to Mayo Clinic.

"I think the series does a wonderful job in portraying the doctors and other medical personnel at Mayo Clinic as warm, caring individuals who want the best for their patients and their families," she says. "I think viewers will be amazed at the friendly bedside manner depicted in this series. Quite frankly, doctors aren't generally regarded as being warm and fuzzy. I think the Mayo Clinic doctors and nurses are a pleasant surprise."

In addition to bedside manner, Needles Steward also believes Mayo Clinic's philosophy of care and the types of medicine practiced will intrigue those who watch the series.

"I also think viewers will be amazed at the team approach to medicine and how it translates into excellent care for patients," she says. "Again, the perception of hospitals today is that the right hand doesn't always know what the left hand is doing. That is clearly not the case at Mayo Clinic, and that is beautifully illustrated in this series.

"I also think the viewer will be captivated by the variety of cases that are handled at Mayo Clinic, from cutting-edge surgery to the tried-and-true medical procedures. I believe viewers will come away from 'Lifeline: Mayo Clinic' with the resolve that if they or a loved one should ever need medical care, they'd seek out and trust their lives to Mayo Clinic."

The following are synopses of the programs in the series. Check Mayo Clinic's Web site, www.mayoclinic.org, for more information on the patients featured and treatment of their diseases.

Episode One: "Medical Detectives" (Friday, Nov. 14, 9-10 p.m. CST; Saturday, Nov. 15, 12-1 a.m. CST; and Sunday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST)

• Facing the unknown, doctors are powerless unless they can unravel clues. Some of the world's best medical detectives are at work at Mayo Clinic.
• A soldier preparing for duty overseas is struck down before ever leaving home. His heart begins to fail, and Mayo Clinic doctors must figure out why.
• A mother is the victim of repeated seizures, but the cause is hidden deep within her brain. Her doctors must perform brain surgery while she lies awake and alert, able to guide them.
• A young athlete is the potential victim of a mysterious killer that could suddenly stop her heart. Her doctors must get to her first.

Episode Two: "Team Medicine" (Friday, Nov. 21, 9-10 p.m. CST; Saturday, Nov. 22, 12-1 a.m. CST; and Sunday, Nov. 23, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST)

• Mayo Clinic: a medical facility whose work begins when all other hopes have failed and where doctors tackle some of the most difficult medical cases in the world.
• A wife and mother fights off death as cancer entrenches itself behind her face, seemingly beyond reach, between her nose and brain. Her Mayo Clinic doctors seek to defy the odds.
• A daughter risks her own life to save her father's life when she donates most of her liver to replace his failing one.
• A promising teenage athlete refuses to surrender his dreams after a devastating accident destroys his left arm. Mayo Clinic surgeons attempt the impossible.

Episode Three: "Destination Medicine" (Friday, Nov. 28, 9-10 p.m. CST; Saturday, Nov. 29, 12-1 a.m. CST; and Sunday, Nov. 30, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST)

• Patients from around the world travel to Mayo Clinic to find answers and undergo treatment that can only be obtained at this esteemed medical facility.
• An orphan from China desperately needs heart surgery and a permanent home. With the help of Mayo Foundation, he receives both.
• A young child battling extremely high and frequent fevers comes to Mayo Clinic from Tennessee to determine what is causing the debilitating fevers.
• A mother in Montana suffers from excruciating pain caused by her terminal cancer. Her recurring trips to Mayo Clinic not only offer her relief but also extend her life.
• A woman who's already battled breast cancer twice comes to Mayo Clinic for an experimental scan to pinpoint whether the cancer has returned a third time.

Episode Four: "Transformations" (Friday, Dec. 5, 9-10 p.m. CST; Saturday, Dec. 6, 12-1 a.m. CST; and Sunday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CST)

• Medical procedures often dramatically transform a patient's quality of life. At Mayo Clinic, these changes are both physical and emotional.
• A young man receives a kidney from his estranged brother, giving him a new lease on life and a renewed connection with his sibling.
• A shy and withdrawn woman with severe psoriasis undergoes an innovative treatment to clear up her skin and boost her self-confidence.
• A teenage student with a history of throat cancer undergoes surgery to regain the use of his voice and allow him to get back into the swing of things at church and school.
• A woman hampered by an extreme sweating problem undergoes a procedure at Mayo Clinic that transforms her ability to interact with people and get on with her life as a teacher.

Please see local listings, as details are subject to change.

*In the southern Minnesota viewing area, this series also will air on Charter Channel 14 on Nov. 16, 23, 30 and Dec. 7, at 11 a.m. CST, in addition to the Discovery Health Channel. Check www.charter.com for further details.

For more information, or to contact Mayo Clinic, see their website at: www.mayoclinic.org