Skip to main content
mayologo1
  • Patient Online Services
  • Pay Bill Online
  • Request an Appointment
    • Services
    • Providers
    • Locations

      Minnesota

      • Adams
      • Albert Lea
      • Austin
      • Belle Plaine
      • Blooming Prairie
      • Butterfield
      • Caledonia
      • Cannon Falls
      • Fairmont
      • Faribault
      • Janesville
      • Kenyon
      • Lake City
      • Le Sueur
      • Mankato
      • Montgomery
      • New Prague
      • New Richland
      • Northfield
      • Owatonna
      • Plainview
      • Red Wing
      • Sherburn
      • St. James
      • St. Peter
      • Waseca
      • Waterville
      • Wells
      • Zumbrota

      Wisconsin

      • Arcadia
      • Barron
      • Bloomer
      • Chetek
      • Chippewa Falls
      • Eau Claire
      • Ellsworth
      • Glenwood City
      • Holmen
      • La Crosse
      • Menomonie
      • Mondovi
      • Onalaska
      • Osseo
      • Prairie du Chien
      • Rice Lake
      • Sparta
      • Tomah

      Iowa

      • Decorah
      • Lake Mills

      View map
    • Classes/Events
    • Blog
    • Wellness
    • Referrals
    • COVID-19

    Recent Posts

    • Child on swing
      Speaking of Health
      Create an asthma action plan for your child
      March 24, 2023
    • Person with arm up, expressing joy
      Speaking of Health
      Tips for embracing joy in daily life
      March 23, 2023
    • Child eating apple
      Speaking of Health
      How to help your child reach a healthy weight
      March 23, 2023
    Featured Topics
    • Behavioral Health
    • Cancer
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Exercise and Fitness
    • Heart Health
    • Men's Health
    • Neurosurgery
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Orthopedic Health
    • Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery
    • Women's Health
    Join our email newsletter
    Patient Stories
    Tuesday, October 24, 2017

    Family ties: Three generations, one provider

    Topics in this Post
    • Men's Health
    • Women's Health
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • Pediatric Medicine

    Family ties 3 generations 1 provider
    Sarah Strahm (sitting) cares for three generations of the Meyer family, including Dan and Cheryl (far right) and their daughters Danielle Barka (left) and her sons Eli and Nolan, and Carrie Halvorson and her daughter, Aubrey (held by Strahm).

    Whether it is time for a well-child visit, a preventive exam or a bigger health concern, Cheryl and Dan Meyer and family, including their adult daughters and young grandchildren, call Sarah Strahm, a family nurse practitioner at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire. As a Family Medicine provider, Strahm takes care of patients of all ages and life stages.

    “Families and individuals in different stages of life have different needs,” Strahm says. “When multiple members of a family follow with the same provider or team of providers, it’s easier to take those different needs into account.”

    And the Meyer family demonstrates just how different those needs can be. Over the years, Strahm has cared for the family during countless well-child visits and annual preventive exams.

    But Strahm has also helped family members navigate some bigger health concerns, including migraine headaches, prediabetes, thyroid nodules, anxiety and two cancer diagnoses (breast cancer in Cheryl’s case; multiple myeloma in Dan’s).

    Cheryl appreciates how Strahm helps her manage the conditions. “Sarah keeps tabs on my thyroid function and helped me with genetic testing for breast cancer,” she says.

    That information is important to the Meyers’ daughters. Having a family history of cancer or other conditions can affect screening timelines.

    “Sarah always knows what we need to do for screening,” says Danielle Barka, one of their daughters. “She remembers everything.”

    Barka’s sister, Carrie Halvorson, appreciates that as well. “I don’t have to repeat my health history, because Sarah already knows,” says Halvorson.

    That type of knowledge benefits patients in a number of ways.

    “When a family member has had a major health condition, we as providers need to be aware of the anxiety of all family members,” Strahm explains. “Health problems don’t affect just one person. They have an effect on the whole family. Children worry about developing the disease or about their parents having a recurrence.”

    Strahm says she’s grateful to have the opportunity to care for families like the Meyers.

    “Life is about connection and relationships,” she says. “It’s a gift to be able to walk with families through potty training trials, sleepless nights, job transitions, the tribulations of parenting a high schooler or of being one, or loss of a parent or grandparent. I appreciate and value being trusted enough to be part of a family’s journey.”


    For the safety of our patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a non-patient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.
    Topics in this Post
    • Men's Health
    • Women's Health
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • Pediatric Medicine

    Related Posts

    Pink eye/conjunctivitis illustration Changing the approach to pink eye
    Young child smiling Protecting yourself against HPV
    Fingers wrinkled by water Q&A: The science behind weird body reactions

    Stay Connected

    • Contact Us
    • Notice of Nondiscrimination
    • Notice of Privacy Practices
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • For Patients & Visitors
    • Financial Assistance
    • Community Resources
    • Mayo Clinic Connect
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Press Room
    • Mayo Clinic
    • Home
    © 2018 - 2023 Mayo Clinic Health System