Review of The Mayo Clinic, Faith, Hope and Science

Everyone says, "The Mayo is the best, right?" It may have been at one point. The spirit in which it was created was certainly a giving and collaborative spirit. But the "best" is still saved for the wealthy and the famous first. The Mayo was discovered to be turning away patients receiving medical assistance in Minnesota, even though legally they aren't supposed to be because they receive funding from the state of Minnesota. As far as treating rare diseases goes, I have seven. After getting referrals from five different doctors while I was living in Minnesota to be seen at the Mayo, the Mayo said in a letter that they would not accept me as a patient because I was "too rare." In fact, I'm not allowed to be seen there at all. I went later just to have my blood drawn for a test, not to see a doctor, and they removed me from the roster after I signed in because of the ban. It isn't just me; my cousin's friend had to move to another state to get her double lung transplant for her rare disease because the Mayo didn't want her as a patient. Another friend who actually lives in Rochester was also banned for being rare. They have great success stats if they turn away patients. So the "hope" portion of this is completely false, unless you can hope to be easy, wealthy or famous.