Decades of incorrect diagnoses and debilitating symptoms led Karie Lother to Mayo Clinic, first as a patient and eventually as a remote staff member. She shares how Mayo Clinic restored her hope and her health.

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For more than two decades, Karie Lother lived with an incorrect diagnosis for a health condition that significantly affected her life.

She recalls suffering from chronic head pain that was localized on her right side since early childhood. The pain eventually became debilitating. 

"After many years of being repeatedly diagnosed with migraines by multiple doctors, I pleaded with my local doctors to perform an MRI," she says.

That reading came back indicating she was clear of any underlying issues. Testing later at Mayo Clinic would prove otherwise.

"At that point, I taught myself how to fight through the pain and not let it interfere with caring for my family," she says.

About five years later, Karie had her first seizure. She underwent 48 hours of monitoring and additional scans and was diagnosed with epilepsy.

"I was put on a hefty dose of anti-seizure medication that was not controlling my daily seizures," she recalls. "I was unable to be left alone. My family members took turns being with me when my husband had to work."

After three months of worsening conditions, Karie's husband insisted on bringing her to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion.

The Mayo Clinic difference

In 2017, the Lother family traveled to Rochester, where Karie met with a Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon. Karie brought her MRI scan from five years prior. The neurosurgeon reviewed the image and informed her she had a brain tumor.

"The quality of the MRI imaging was dated, but he could still identify the tumor at first glance," Karie says. "Our world was flipped upside down in a matter of minutes, but I was relieved to have an explanation for my symptoms."

More advanced imaging at Mayo Clinic revealed the tumor's exact size and precise location. Less than two weeks later, Karie underwent a full craniotomy to remove the tumor. The pathology report concluded that the tumor was benign.

“Mayo Clinic was able to provide something that no other healthcare team was able to provide — an answer and a solution. I had so much confidence in my Mayo Clinic care team," Karie recalls.

"The quality of care I received was unlike anything I had ever experienced," she says. "Everyone I encountered, from the parking lot attendant to the scheduling assistants to my neurologist, treated me with the sincerest compassion. I felt like they all had a vested interest to get me better and give me a second chance at life." 

Life after brain surgery

After a lengthy recovery period, Karie is enjoying every free moment with her children, ages 14 and 11.

Since her surgery, she was inspired to join the Mayo Clinic family to be part of an institution that means so much to so many people.

"From the moment I was walking and talking again after my surgery, I wanted to be part of this culture," Karie says. "The professionalism and dedication of Mayo Clinic's staff is unmatched."

She was hired in June 2021 as a business continuity manager in Supply Chain Management. She works remotely from her home in Bristol, Wisconsin, and tries to travel to the Rochester campus quarterly.

There's one place she has to stop while on campus.

"I make sure to take time to sit and reflect in my favorite spot, the Gonda atrium, and listen to the sounds and emotions of patients and their loved ones who have come to Mayo Clinic seeking help," Karie says. "I sit with my staff identification card in hand, humbled and thankful that I get the privilege to work for the best healthcare system in the world and connect with people who come here for hope and healing."