Mark Cloutier

That Time Mark Got New Lungs

As many of you know, Mark has been healthy as a horse most of his life, but a few years ago he developed an annoyingly persistent cough. He began using an inhaler but it only helped so much. At the end of 2019 he learned that a bacterial infection had taken hold in his lungs. The doctor prescribed a 2-year battery of antibiotics, and at first they helped quite a bit. In fact, although the cough persisted he easily handled the miles of walking around sightseeing Austin in March 2020. Unfortunately, later that spring Mark noticed he was losing his breath a bit too easily. By summer it was significantly worse. It turns out that along with the infection he was suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.

On September 30th, he met with a doctor to discuss the prospect of a double-lung transplant. Although the thought of such a drastic procedure was frightening, his damaged lungs might only hold out for two more years at most. Everyone agreed that a transplant was the best option, so over the next few months he underwent a series of tests to make sure he was an acceptable candidate. At one point it seemed like he would be denied due to the bacterial infection, but thankfully all of the doctors eventually agreed that he should move ahead with a transplant. On February 4th, Mark’s name was officially put on the list to await a suitable donor. And so the waiting began.

He didn’t have to wait long. Four days later on Monday morning he got the call, a donor had been found! He gave the cat a few bowls of food and water then rushed out the door. Jodi, Jamie, and Brian met him at the hospital to anxiously await the scheduled surgery. It began Monday night, and was finished with no complications before the sunrise on Tuesday. By the afternoon he was breathing on his own, and on Wednesday he took his first short walk powered by his new lungs. At present he’s recovering at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, enjoying unfettered breathing and jello.

The family is opening this fundraising page for a few reasons. We know that many people are looking for a way to help in his recovery, and pitching in to cover some of the many expenses we expect to see in the coming months would be incredibly helpful. Help Hope Live is also a platform for communicating his progress with blog posts, pictures, and videos, so you can join us in his journey towards recovery too. Finally, you can post messages of encouragement for Mark and everyone else to see. We chose to use Help Hope Live because it’s a non-profit site that ensures donations go towards only recovery-related expenses. You can be confident that anything you give will be used appropriately. Donations are also tax deductible if that’s important to you! Thank you for reading this far and for considering a donation. Be sure to write a message to Mark before you go!