EDIT: Carlos has sadly passed away after losing a battle against pneumonia. His body was just too tired. This fundraiser has been updated to allow for donations to his wife Kim, who has been on unpaid leave from work for almost 2 months trying to save his life. We are forever indebted to all of you for your tremendous generosity, compassion, love, and prayers. THANK YOU so much from our entire family.

ORIGINAL POST:

Hello. My name is Jennifer Huffman. I would like to introduce you to my brother, Carlos Otts. He is a fellow quirky wannabe circus clown, much like myself. He is smart, kind-hearted, talented, and up until recently, full of life. If he only had two pennies to rub together, but someone needed those two pennies, he would lovingly hand them over. My brother and I are forever bonded by our experiences, not just as siblings, but as lifelong friends. No matter what has happened in our lives, I always knew my brother was just a phone call away. But now, I am feeling helpless to help him. So, I am doing one of the only things I know I can do to help, which is raising desperately needed funds to cover expenses.

I am trying to raise money for my brother to save his life and the time to do so has suddenly come to a screeching halt right in front of us. He is now in a dire situation.

My brother's lungs have been gradually failing for over two years now. We knew when he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis that he would eventually need a double lung transplant if he was going to live. But things have now gotten so much worse in a short amount of time. Carlos was hospitalized recently with "crackling" in his lungs and he is now barely mobile due to the lack of oxygen. At his pulmonary specialist follow-up appointment a few weeks ago, we were told that he is now "in the transplant window." He is down to only about 25-30% lung capacity and, in just a matter of weeks, is expected to be catapulted to the top of the transplant list. Our hearts break that another soul has to leave this earth in order for our loved one's soul to stay here with us longer. But it is the only chance he has. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the generous, loving soul who will be his donor. We will forever be in their debt.

This has been a very difficult journey for Carlos and the family, but especially his wife Kim. He also suffered several TIA strokes a few years ago, at which point he lost his peripheral vision, and has been unable to work for the past several years, after MANY years of working for the humane society. Kim loves my brother madly and has been working SO hard, doing everything possible just to keep them afloat, much less pay for the medical expenses involved in saving his life. She was able to arrange to work from home so she could earn income and care for my brother at the same time. But it's a lot.

We are hoping that, by Christmas, Carlos will have his new lungs and a whole new lease on life, that he will be able to spend many more days with his children, his bonus children, his grandchildren, the entire family that loves him, and his chunky monkey kitty that has dubbed him her human.

Once the transplant is complete, my brother will be in the hospital anywhere from a week to a month. After that, he and Kim will both need to live at the Mason House Transplant Center near Emory for two additional months, until he is out of the woods and can go back home. Kim has saved as much as she has been able to cover my brother's aftercare, including the hospital stay and the Mason House, which is over $10,000 in and of itself. Add to that, the expenses for gas from Dawsonville to Emory and all the way to Braselton for his pulmonary specialist. Then there is the skyrocketing cost of food, particularly transplant recipient safe food for a compromised immune system (eating healthy is insanely expensive).

If anyone is willing to donate to help, you have no idea how much it means to Carlos, Kim, and our entire family, that we might have him in our lives for hopefully many more years to come. Every dollar counts. If you cannot give at this time, please know that we covet your prayers, especially now that he is at the most difficult juncture in this journey. Thank you so much for reading this. GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU and THANK YOU!