David Booker

David Booker participated in the pilot study of the human hormone or B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), at Mayo Clinic. During the study, David gave himself twice-daily injections of synthetic BNP to determine if the drug improves heart and kidney function damaged by congestive heart failure. David was diagnosed five years ago with congestive heart failure, a chronic condition that makes breathing difficult.

David is a definite fan of the effects of BNP. "I felt great, like I was years younger," he says. "I had a lot more energy, more strength and a better attitude because of those changes. My sons who farm with me called me a taskmaster during the weeks of the study because I got so much done and then noticed all the other things that hadn't been getting done. I think this is a wonderful medication that seems to be able to really help people like me."

"I believe research is important," says David. "If Mayo Clinic can use my medical information to further study, I'm happy to help."

David's personal ties to Mayo Clinic contribute to his willingness to assist medical research. His great-aunt, Gertrude Booker Granger, an ophthalmologist, was one of a few female physicians at Mayo Clinic in the early 1900s. And David's 26-year-old son, Jeremy, was diagnosed with leukemia at age 9 and was treated at Mayo Clinic for a year and a half. Jeremy, who farms with his father, is cancer-free.

"I think deep down I want to give back in any way I can because Mayo Clinic helped save my son's life and because my great-aunt blazed a trail for women in medicine at Mayo Clinic," says David. "And, of course, I want a better treatment for congestive heart failure, like the one in the BNP clinical trial, to be adopted while I can still benefit from it."