The Bridges Between Us

Cris Ross spent more than a decade serving as Chief Information Officer at Mayo Clinic, helping lead one of the most respected healthcare organizations in the world through periods of enormous change and complexity.

Then, in 2018, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Used to solving problems and carrying responsibility for others, Cris approached treatment the same way he approached work: stay focused, push forward, and keep going. But cancer - and eventually cancer recurrence - forced him to confront something much harder than treatment itself: learning how to let people help him.

In this episode of The Bridges Between Us, Cris reflects on the emotional and physical realities of living through two cancer diagnoses, including chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, caregiving, and the uncertainty that comes with recurrence.

He also shares the turning point that led him to start a CaringBridge page after initially resisting the idea. What began as a practical way to update people became something much more meaningful: a way for friends, family, and community to show up for him during one of the hardest seasons of his life.

Throughout the conversation, Cris speaks candidly about perspective, vulnerability, gratitude, and what it means to keep choosing joy even when life changes unexpectedly.

For more on his book, Diagnosed, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/Diagnosed-Insiders-Guide-Healthcare-Journey-ebook/dp/B0CRKXC5SH

Topics covered:

• Receiving a colorectal cancer diagnosis while leading at Mayo Clinic
• Navigating chemotherapy, radiation, and recurrence
• The emotional shift from caregiver and leader to patient
• Why Cris initially resisted starting a CaringBridge page
• Learning how to receive support from others
• The role family and caregiving played during treatment
• Living with gratitude, perspective, and joy after cancer

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⚠️ Content note: This episode includes descriptions of a serious accident and traumatic injury.

On a Sunday afternoon outside Minneapolis, Jeff Winston was in a life-altering motorcycle accident that he somehow survived - pulling himself safely to the side of the highway and calling for help.

Just behind him, Jackie Klinkner, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), noticed something wasn’t right and made a split-second decision to stop. Using what she had on hand, she stabilized Jeff and stayed with him until emergency responders arrived.

They were strangers in a critical moment, connected only by circumstance.

Jeff lost his leg below the knee that night. Jackie went home not knowing what happened next.

Months later, she came across a CaringBridge page created by Jeff’s fiancée, where friends and family had been following his recovery through regular updates. Through those posts, Jackie finally learned Jeff had survived - and eventually found a way to reconnect.

In this episode of The Bridges Between Us, Jeff and Jackie share their story together: the accident, the moments immediately after, the uncertainty that followed, and the unexpected reunion that brought them back together.

Jeff also reflects on recovery, adapting to life after limb loss, supporting other amputees through Wiggle Your Toes, and the mindset shift that helped him move from focusing on what was lost to embracing what could still come next.

For more information on Wiggle Your Toes, please visit: https://wiggleyourtoes.org/

Topics covered:

• The moments leading up to and following Jeff’s accident
• Jackie’s decision to stop and provide care
• Navigating sudden, life-changing injury
• The role of CaringBridge in keeping people connected
• Reconnecting after crisis
• Recovery, resilience, and supporting others after limb loss
• Adaptive sports, prosthetics, and finding new “firsts”

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Hosted by Andy Thieman, The Bridges Between Us is a podcast from CaringBridge featuring honest conversations about caregiving, resilience, connection, and the ways people show up for one another during health journeys.

Through real stories from patients, caregivers, family members, and supporters, each episode explores what it means to navigate uncertainty, find hope, and feel less alone when life changes unexpectedly.

Send us your comments. We'd love to hear from you.

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In this episode of How We Heal, a podcast collaboration between CaringBridge and End in Mind, host Brigid Bonner and Emmy-award winning journalist Cathy Wurzer reflect on how CaringBridge user Caroline Wright has found her own path toward healing in cooking, writing and making "meaning" out of a life-changing diagnosis of brain cancer. 

For more stories of healing, visit www.caringbridge.org/healing. For more information about End in Mind, visit www.endinmindproject.org. 

This episode was produced by Palisade Productions. The editor is Jennilee Park.

In this episode of How We Heal, a podcast collaboration between CaringBridge and End in Mind, host Brigid Bonner talks with Emmy-award winning journalist Cathy Wurzer about a framework for healing based on a person's ability to "belong, believe and be." The conversation centers on CaringBridge user Michael Bischoff, who said living with brain cancer offered a chance for healing, if not cure. Those who knew and loved Michael reflect on the ways in which he opened himself to the love of family and friends, and how he worked to make sense of a senseless diagnosis.

For more stories of healing, visit www.caringbridge.org/healing. For more information about End in Mind, visit www.endinmindproject.org. 

This episode was produced by Palisade Productions. The editor is Jennilee Park.