The right place, at the right time
Gil Nelson of Fargo has just one memory from Nov. 15, 2004: "All I can remember is the terrific pain – pain in the lower back and the abdomen," he says. His wife, Carolyn, fills in the rest: "He woke up that morning in terrible pain. He has arthritis of the spine, so I figured it might be related to that. But when I noticed his pajamas were wringing wet with sweat, I knew this was something more."
Carolyn called to make an appointment to see their family doctor, but after hearing they couldn't get in until later that day, she knew help was needed sooner. Gil continued to be in excruciating pain. With the aid of their building manager, Carolyn helped Gil into the car and planned to take him to MeritCare Walk-In Clinic. When she arrived at the Y in the road where she would have taken a left, she heard him say, "I'm going to pass out." She took a right instead and headed to MeritCare Emergency Center, just eight blocks north.
Read more about the Nelsons.
Thankful to be at home, on the journey to a new heart
Don Hovden's typical weekday morning routine looks like this: Get up, make a pot of coffee, put breakfast on the table for 7-year-old son Brent, read the newspaper, get dressed, run a few errands. Oh, and one more important morning task: perform routine tests on the mechanical device that keeps his heart pumping while he waits for a heart transplant.
NFL player trains at MeritCare
Soft-spoken and articulate, Pete Campion doesn't exactly fit the stereotype of a professional football player. But at 6' 4", 307 pounds, this 25-year-old Fergus Falls, Minn. native went from playing North Dakota State University Bison football to playing in the National Football League, first for the Carolina Panthers, then the Oakland Raiders.
Easing the misery of chronic pain
Ardoth Week had dealt with back problems for years, but when she began suffering extreme pain in her right leg, she knew something more needed to be done.
Cancer survivor says know your options
A former marathon runner, Pat Dooley works out six days a week, watches what he eats, and faithfully gets his yearly physicals, including PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood tests to check for prostate cancer. Even so, when this 65-year-old from Bemidji, Minn. learned in November 2002 that his PSA had taken a jump, he knew he wasn't immune to the disease.
Mother of twins chooses MeritCare NICU
When Pam Bjorkland's water broke one Saturday morning in September 2001, she knew something was terribly wrong. She was only six months pregnant.
Smoking: Getting hooked – and getting free
Gasping and coughing, a 14-year-old inhales the first puff. You're likely not surprised by the age – most smokers begin the habit in their teen years. But you might be surprised by how quickly the first puff can become a habit...