The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients. Robert Kass finds voice again after long COVID-19 battle, tracheal resectionRobert Kass is a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie. The 69-year-old is an avid rock climber, SCUBA diver and four-decade veteran softball player who once spent weeks sailing across the Pacific Ocean in a two-man vessel. Kass invested in his health through diet and exercise, and says he never had a serious illness in his life. Then, in January 2021, he contracted COVID-19. "I came home from work with a 102-degree fever," says Kass. "Within days, I… Mayo Clinic Children's Center leaves South Carolina girl smiling after surgery to correct pectus excavatumWhen Sara Hutchins noticed an indent in her daughter Scarlett’s chest, she immediately recognized the cause: pectus excavatum, a condition that causes the breast bone to sink into the chest. “My father had the same condition,” Sara says. “He’d had surgery to correct it but was never satisfied with his results.” Sara wanted to ensure that if Scarlett had surgery, she’d like what she saw in the mirror afterward. “I did a lot of research,”… Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic ResearchCosts & insurance Aug. 10, 2018 Share on: FacebookTwitter Thoracic SurgeryDepartment homeSectionsRequest an appointmentOverviewTests & proceduresConditions treatedDoctorsExpertise & rankingsLocations, travel & lodgingClinical trialsResearchThe Mayo Clinic experience & patient storiesCosts & insuranceNews from Mayo ClinicReferrals SectionsRequest an appointmentOverviewTests & proceduresConditions treatedDoctorsExpertise & rankingsLocations, travel & lodgingClinical trialsResearchThe Mayo Clinic experience & patient storiesCosts & insuranceNews from Mayo ClinicReferrals ORG-20380885 Departments & Centers Medical Departments & Centers Thoracic Surgery