Mayo Clinic team helped a music legend back to his feet and on stage

ROCHESTER — When Mike Wanchic played at the Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee in July, he had come a long way since his last visit to Minnesota. Wanchic had been dealing with declining mobility when he visited Mayo Clinic about 80 miles away. Whether he would walk again let alone join his longtime collaborator and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Mellencamp on stage for the 2026 tour were in question. Mayo Clinic shared the touching story of getting Wanchic back on his feet and onto the stage. Wanchic, who lives in Indiana, was initially treated for an inflammatory disorder involving his spinal cord. He was 10 months into declining motor function and was in a wheelchair by the time he visited Mayo Clinic. Brandy Welvaert describes how Mayo Clinic neurologist Samantha Banks picked up on “red flags” of Wanchic’s previous diagnosis and how his symptoms didn’t match what he was being treated for.

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