Mayo Clinic Health System
  • 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
    • Request an Appointment
    • Patient Online Services
    • Pay Bills Online
    • Refer a Patient

    Recent Posts

    • Hand controller and video game on screen
      Speaking of Health
      Are video games, screens another addiction?
      July 01, 2022
    • Sleeping baby wearing pink cap
      Speaking of Health
      Delayed umbilical cord clamping benefits baby, affects cord blood donation
      June 30, 2022
    • Bearded person with glasses
      Speaking of Health
      Men's health: Checkups, screenings key
      June 29, 2022
    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
    Monday, November 11, 2013

    Woman fights colon cancer by staying strong in body and spirit

    Beth and Olive

    Since her diagnosis of Stage IV colon cancer in 2010, Beth Berhow has had three surgeries, three rounds of chemotherapy and many positron emission tomography (PET) scans. She’s also celebrated three birthdays and the birth of her granddaughter, Olive, whom Berhow says is “magical.”

    “So much of the cancer journey made me feel helpless,” says Berhow. “I realized I had to take back some control. I couldn’t cure myself, but I could do something about the strength of my body and spirit. So I walk, work out, do yoga and eat healthy. And I surround myself with happy, positive people who support me.”

    That support system includes Berhow’s family, friends and her oncology team, John A. Laurie, M.D., an oncologist in Albert Lea and Austin, J. Fernando Quevedo, M.D., an oncologist in Rochester, and Lillian (Lilly) M. Sorenson, an infusion nurse in Austin.

    Colonoscopies matter
    Berhow had no symptoms when she was diagnosed with cancer. It was discovered during her first routine colonoscopy, which is key. If detected early, cancer cells may only be in the colon. If the cancer is detected later, the cells may have entered the lymph and blood systems and spread to organs, as Berhow’s did.

    Patients with colon cancer receive intravenous treatments every two weeks in Rochester or Austin and also take a portable infusion pump home for 48 hours between treatments. “Beth is a great example of someone who benefited from the combination of specialized treatments at Mayo and routine chemotherapy treatments at home,” says Dr. Laurie.

    Beth Berhow, left, with Lillian (Lilly) M. Sorenson, an infusion nurse in Austin. “I wouldn’t have made it through without the team there, and especially Lilly. She knew when I needed encouragement or just needed someone to listen,” says Berhow. “Because of her, I did not dread chemo.”

    Berhow struggled with the effects of treatment. “I kept thinking how backward it was that the treatments made me feel worse than the cancer did,” says Berhow, who had chemotherapy at the infusion center in Austin and has her portacath — a port installed under the skin that allows drugs to be injected via a portable infusion pump, and blood samples to be drawn — flushed there. “I wouldn’t have made it through without the team there, and especially Lilly. She knew when I needed encouragement or just needed someone to listen,” says Berhow. “Because of her, I did not dread chemo.”

    In the infusion center in Austin, “we know all of our patients. We’re with them when they have chemotherapy, and if they return for other services, we’re here for them,” says Sorenson.

    The infusion centers in Albert Lea, Austin and Rochester follow the same protocols and use the same computer documentation program for orders, so patients may receive treatments at all three sites.

    “Being able to receive treatments close to home is convenient and less stressful for patients, especially if they’re not feeling up to par,” says Dr. Laurie.

    Pluck and resilience matter, too
    Berhow is not currently cancer-free. “There is another round of chemo in my future, but the cancer doesn’t warrant treatment yet. In the meantime, I strive to keep my mind and body strong. The cancer is something I will live with, and deal with. It doesn’t scare me quite as much anymore.”


    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
    • Colorectal Health
    • Women's Health

    Related Posts

    Front porch view of door Healthy home advice: Falls, chemicals, medications, sharps
    Person with short, curly hair wearing denim shirt looking to right Trust your gut: What you need to know about digestive health
    Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S. Colorectal cancer basics

    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 - 2022 Mayo Clinic Health System