Gary Klausner July 2009
At 44 years old, Gary Klausner has already fit more than a lifetime of accomplishments and recognitions into his life. His determination and inner drive have helped him to maneuver through many of the challenges that the disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF), in which the median lifespan is 37 years old, has presented to him.
Diagnosed with CF at 10 years old, Gary grew up with parents who never allowed his health to be an excuse for him to take the easy route through life. He was encouraged to study, be competitive and pursue his dreams just like any other boy his age. This point of view, Gary notes, helped him develop his personal motto “that there is nothing in life, you can’t do, if you put your mind to it.”
When Gary was a young adult, he became very ill, which was an extraordinary test of his emotional, mental and physicial strength. Gary was working his way up at an extremely demanding job as an assistant stock trader on Wall Street in New York City. One day at work, he suddenly had trouble breathing and rushed himself to the hospital. At the hospital, he found out that an antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection had become active in his lungs, and that he would have to have a double lung transplant. In order to be near the Duke University Hospital and ready to be called in for surgery when/if the time came, Gary left his wife Robin and 7 day old twin boys, Matthew and Steven, and moved to North Carolina to wait for a double lung transplant, not knowing if he would ever see them again. Gary calls this time the most difficult one of his life.
Fortunately, Gary was incredibly lucky and was called in for transplant surgery in December 1998. The recovery process was long and arduous, involving many months of physical and pulmonary rehab, before he began to regain his strength. After the transplant, Gary made it one of his missions to spread the word about CF and organ transplants. He competed in local races and spoke in his area to raise awareness of organ donation and transplatation. When he was ready to go back to work, he decided to make a career change to healthcare sales for a company that focuses on respiratory and allergy products. At his current company, Gary has repeatedly been recognized for his superior work acheivements and recently received the “Presidents Club Award” an elite recognition for the top sales performers within the company.
In addition to receiving recognition at work for his accomplishments, Gary has been recognized multiple times on television and through advocacy groups as an incredible and inspiring individual. After receiving a double lung transplant at age 33, Gary was profiled on the Discovery Health Channel show Beating the Odds. In 2005, Gary, along with former football great and sports television personality Boomer Esiason (who is another champion for CF), was featured on an episode of the hit show, Bravo’s Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and treated to a 40th birthday block party celebration, kitchen makeover and given a trip with his wife Robin to the Bahamas. The following year, Gary was also the recipient of the Michael Brennan Courage award, an honor from the Boomer Esiason Foundation (BEF). The award was established in 2000 in memory of BEF member Michael Brennan to recognize outstanding individuals who are living with CF and taking leadership roles in raising awareness about the disease.
In part, Gary attributes his high energy and ability to stay positive by keeping physically active. He has competed in three on three basketball and tennis at the 2002 Transplant Olympics, which are Olympic-style sporting events held every two years for transplant recipients who have received life-saving organ, tissue or bone marrow transplants. Staying active has always been a priority; no matter how busy his schedule gets, he finds time to exercise at the gym, play basketball or tennis, or biking.
Besides staying active daily, Gary has a medical routine that he diligently follows to treat CF-related diabetes, digestive issues associated with the disease and issues relating to his double lung transplant. He never misses a dose of his insulin or one of his many pills because staying compliant to his medication is one of the most effective weapons he has to stay healthy. Gary attributes his formula for success to three key components: waking up every morning and making sures he lives life to the fullest, continually setting new challenges for himself and his incredible support system, including his wife Robin, his two children, his parents, his brother, an expert team of physicians and his close personal friends.
“The way Gary has handled the mental and physical demands of CF throughout his life, including through the double lung transplant, truly makes him a great example to others with CF.” said Dr. Joan DeCelie-Germana, a member of the Heroes of Hope Living with CF panel. “I am so proud to have this amazing individual as one of our new Heroes.”
Please note: The information contained on these Heroes of Hope™ Living with CF award recipient biographies are not regularly updated. The information only represents the point in time when the Heroes of Hope recipient was honored.
