A Breath of Fresh Air-Gil's Double Lung Transplant
Donation protected
My dad, Gilbert Gutierrez is 56 years old and a proud husband, father, and grandfather living in Tucson Arizona. In 2009, my dad had a cough that wouldn’t go away. He went to several doctors, thinking it was allergies or a difficult cold. Fortunately, we found a doctor who diagnosed him. Unfortunately, that diagnosis would start this entire journey.
Gilbert was diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After a year’s worth of chemotherapy and also contracting Bleomycin Toxicity from one of chemicals (which damages part of the lungs, giving him a lung capacity of 63%), he beat cancer and has been in remission ever since!
In 2014, my dad got very sick during flu season. We thought it was just a nasty flu but it turned out to be Eosinophilic Pneumonia, which scarred his lungs further; a lung capacity of 46%. He was in the hospital for two weeks and when he was released, he was on 24-hour oxygen. He wasn’t able to work for six weeks; he couldn’t even go up the stairs of our house. He also had to sleep with an oxygen home concentrator. About a year later, his lung capacity had improved and only used portable oxygen as needed. He was able to get back to living his life as before.
In April 2019 however, Gilbert was admitted again into the hospital for another two weeks. He once again developed Eosinophilic Pneumonia. While in the hospital, they did a bronchoscope and found his lungs to be 80% scarred. He was again placed on 24-hour oxygen and sleeping with the oxygen home concentrator. His lung capacity was now at 20%. Once released, he has been seeing a pulmonologist regularly. The pulmonologist deemed that his condition was deteriorating rapidly and confirmed that he would need a double lung transplant.
By September 2019, he was readmitted into the hospital and was officially diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, which he has had for the last three years; it is a progressive fatal lung disease with a life expectancy of 3-5 years. While in the hospital, his pulmonologist moved forward with the evaluation for the double lung transplant. For seven days, my dad underwent several evaluation tests. He will be placed on the waiting list soon, which all of his doctors have said that he could only be waiting for weeks to months. His transplant surgeon also told us that the transplant is urgent and that he will a high priority on the list.
My dad is a caring husband, father and grandfather and has always put his family first. His main concern is the financial burden that his procedure will have on us. His hospital bills and the cost of the anti-rejection medications are astronomical and these are what your generosity and contribution will go towards. This lung transplant will give him a new lease on life. He will be able to play with his grandchildren, walk his daughters down the aisle and just experience life to the fullest. Through Gilbert’s double lung transplant journey, we will continue to post updates on his recovery.
If you are unable make a donation, your prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our post.
Sincerely,
The Gutierrez Family
(Theresa, Gilbert, Alex, Isaac, Marina and Tarah)
Gilbert was diagnosed with Stage III Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After a year’s worth of chemotherapy and also contracting Bleomycin Toxicity from one of chemicals (which damages part of the lungs, giving him a lung capacity of 63%), he beat cancer and has been in remission ever since!
In 2014, my dad got very sick during flu season. We thought it was just a nasty flu but it turned out to be Eosinophilic Pneumonia, which scarred his lungs further; a lung capacity of 46%. He was in the hospital for two weeks and when he was released, he was on 24-hour oxygen. He wasn’t able to work for six weeks; he couldn’t even go up the stairs of our house. He also had to sleep with an oxygen home concentrator. About a year later, his lung capacity had improved and only used portable oxygen as needed. He was able to get back to living his life as before.
In April 2019 however, Gilbert was admitted again into the hospital for another two weeks. He once again developed Eosinophilic Pneumonia. While in the hospital, they did a bronchoscope and found his lungs to be 80% scarred. He was again placed on 24-hour oxygen and sleeping with the oxygen home concentrator. His lung capacity was now at 20%. Once released, he has been seeing a pulmonologist regularly. The pulmonologist deemed that his condition was deteriorating rapidly and confirmed that he would need a double lung transplant.
By September 2019, he was readmitted into the hospital and was officially diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, which he has had for the last three years; it is a progressive fatal lung disease with a life expectancy of 3-5 years. While in the hospital, his pulmonologist moved forward with the evaluation for the double lung transplant. For seven days, my dad underwent several evaluation tests. He will be placed on the waiting list soon, which all of his doctors have said that he could only be waiting for weeks to months. His transplant surgeon also told us that the transplant is urgent and that he will a high priority on the list.
My dad is a caring husband, father and grandfather and has always put his family first. His main concern is the financial burden that his procedure will have on us. His hospital bills and the cost of the anti-rejection medications are astronomical and these are what your generosity and contribution will go towards. This lung transplant will give him a new lease on life. He will be able to play with his grandchildren, walk his daughters down the aisle and just experience life to the fullest. Through Gilbert’s double lung transplant journey, we will continue to post updates on his recovery.
If you are unable make a donation, your prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for taking the time to read our post.
Sincerely,
The Gutierrez Family
(Theresa, Gilbert, Alex, Isaac, Marina and Tarah)
Organizer
Marina Gutierrez
Organizer
Tucson, AZ