Saved by a stranger: Meet @gerryp

ROSEMARY: What brought you to Mayo Clinic Connect? 

@gerryp: I learned about Mayo Clinic Connect once I transferred my care to and became a patient of Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. I believe that the social workers at Mayo introduced me to the site.

ROSEMARY: What motivates you to take part in the community?

@gerryp: I had a sudden onset of acute illness which upended my life. In March 2020, just as Covid was breaking, I had a gallstone attack that quickly put me into septic shock, organ failure, necrotizing pancreatitis and an extended hospitalization. I was hospitalized alone for over 3 months, without the physical presence of my wife and family due to Covid restrictions. Ultimately, I was told that the only cure from the damage done to my liver by the septic shock was a liver transplant. It was as if the rug had been pulled out from under me.

Prior to that fateful day, I had been living my best life – both personally and professionally. I had no serious illness, and I had no idea that I even had gallstones. My wife and I had been preparing for the next phase of our lives as empty nesters. Suddenly, I was fighting for my life; in fact, I’m lucky to be alive. I was in and out of the hospital for over a year, with recurring sepsis infections, while I waited for a liver transplant. Ultimately, my infectious disease doctor informed us that I was becoming increasingly antibiotic resistant, and that she was running out of antibiotics to treat my recurring infections. She said I needed an organ transplant ASAP, or I would die of infection. 

My doctor suggested that we contact Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, as my odds for transplant would be better here in Florida than they were in Massachusetts. They agreed to evaluate me, so we relocated to Jacksonville. When we arrived here, I was in a wheelchair – essentially an invalid. 

During this experience, I learned so much about my illness, suffered through so many complications, and learned multiple ways to cope with what I was going through. By participating in Mayo Clinic Connect, I am trying to pay it forward – to provide hope and some perspective for those members going through their own health crises. Plus, I always feel that I can learn something more from many of the posts and comments that people enter.

ROSEMARY: What about Mayo Clinic Connect makes you feel comfortable to share and to be open with the community?

@gerryp: Many of the people who participate on Mayo Clinic Connect are facing some of the same issues I faced – and that can be a frightening and lonely place. I have no problem offering my perspective – so that it might just provide them with information that they hadn’t thought of, or questions to ask of their medical team. I have no problem sharing my story. I hope that someone else can benefit from learning something from what I went through.

ROSEMARY: What support groups do you participate in?

@gerryp: The Transplants support group, of course, but I also follow the discussions in the  Digestive Health, Men's Health and Sleep Health support groups. I mostly post in Transplants where I can help and add value.

ROSEMARY: Tell us about a meaningful moment on Mayo Clinic Connect.

@gerryp: There have been several meaningful moments. When I first became ill, I itched terribly from head to toe. This went on for nearly 2 years. It was absolutely torture. We tried everything to relieve it and ultimately found that ice packs helped to distract my brain from the itching. Being able to share this information so that another person might benefit from what helped me is so gratifying. 

Same with music. I found that while I was hospitalized, I was often in a brain fog, as my liver was not fully functioning. Listening to music helped to calm me – and helped to pass the time. I get satisfaction from sharing with others the things that helped me cope with my illness and the knowledge that it might just help them too.

ROSEMARY: What surprised you the most about Mayo Clinic Connect?

@gerryp: How many people participate – and the fact that many of them are not Mayo patients. Members come from all over the world to learn and share.

ROSEMARY: What energizes you, or how do you find balance in your life? 

@gerryp: Going through a solid organ transplant is a life-changing event. The realization that someone died for me to live, is sobering. I have vowed to honor this gift of life. I try every day to appreciate the simple things that life provides – a beautiful sunrise or sunset, the smile and laughter of a child, the love of my wife and family. I am a lucky man. My wife is my best friend, and together we balance each other – she is the yin to my yang. I truly believe that I would not be alive but for her advocacy on my behalf. She provides both my energy and my balance. Cheers to the caregivers!

ROSEMARY: Tell us about your favorite pastime or activity.

@gerryp: Pickleball! I was so incredibly ill that I never expected to ever be healthy again. Many of my transplant friends promised me that I would, but it’s very hard to believe that it could be so. Once I was mostly recovered from the surgery, I could not believe how good I felt. I promised myself that I would do everything in my power to be as healthy as possible. 

After my first year of recovery, my wife and I took up pickleball. It’s incredibly fun, we’ve made a lot of new friends, and I enjoy being active. I also try to ride my Peloton most mornings. My handle is Sharkbite22. We borrowed the “Sharkbite” from another liver transplant recipient (with his ok). I am on a mission to maintain my good health. I find that it helps me sleep better and generally feel better.

ROSEMARY: Do you have a favorite quote, life motto or personal mantra?

@gerryp: I try everyday to follow the Golden Rule – treat people the way you would like to be treated. I just find it makes for a nicer way to live, and a nicer world.

ROSEMARY: What do you appreciate the most in your friends? 

@gerryp: Loyalty and love – just being present for us. I think most of us have no idea how many lives we have touched. The love and support that our friends provided is amazing – everything from organizing meals, to offering to take me on walks, so I could get out of the house while I waited for transplant. I was 60 years old when I got ill. I had friends from high school that put together a get-well video, complete with commentary, songs, good wishes and old photos. It was amazing. Many of these people I haven’t had contact with in over 40 years. It was almost like I had last seen them a couple of years ago. I have boxes and boxes of get-well cards and personal notes. I had friends organize prayer chains with people I had never met, praying for my recovery. Just amazing.

ROSEMARY: What food can you simply not resist? 

@gerryp: I’m Italian American. I love a good Italian meal, and any dessert made with lemons.

ROSEMARY: If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see cast as you?

@gerryp: George Clooney, of course. And the movie would be a hit!

ROSEMARY: What do you love about where you live or vacation?

@gerryp: We relocated to Jacksonville, Florida before my transplant. Once we arrived here and saw how beautiful it is (and how much warmer) than New England – I decided there was no way I was returning to the cold, dark of another winter in Boston. I like to say that I never expected to ever live in Florida, but it wasn’t my choice. It picked us, and I am forever grateful.

ROSEMARY: Anything else you’d like to share?

@gerryp: In my quest to help people, I’ve been lucky to have been featured in a news story by Mayo Clinic and interviewed in a podcast for NPR. I’d like to share these too:

• Liver transplant patient becomes volunteer for department that saved his life Mayo Clinic News Network
• The body’s paradox: When giving heals and fighting hurts What's Health Got to Do with It? podcast

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