George Carman, the namesake of “New Lungs for George,” one of the area’s best-known fundraising efforts, has been approved by his insurance company and doctors for a double lung transplant.

Carman is a lifelong sufferer of cystic fibrosis, a debilitating congenital disease that causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive tract. At about 80 percent lung capacity 10 years ago, Carman’s lung function has now deteriorated to such a point – about 25 percent – that he has finally qualified for a transplant.

According to Scott Doyle, head of the New Lungs for George fundraising effort that has netted $190,000 since its inception six years ago, Carman’s health insurance company has pre-approved the surgery, to be conducted at New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center whenever a set of adequate lungs become available – which could be any time now, Doyle said.

“It was just last week that George received the official paperwork by the United Network of Organ Sharing and George’s insurance company to say that he can now go for his double lung transplant.” Doyle announced to New Gloucester firefighters and EMTs last Thursday night during a monthly meeting at the fire station.

Carman has been a member of the department for 16 years, and he served in Yarmouth for four years prior to moving to New Gloucester. Due to his health, he has been forced to fight fires from afar. But with a new set of lungs, Carman could realize his dream of fighting a fire inside a burning building.

“I’ve always been an exterior firefighter. Anything you can do outside, I’ve done. My lungs aren’t strong enough to breath on a respirator,” he said.

But Carman’s limited role hasn’t prevented Carman from positively impacting other members of the crew. He was named New Gloucester’s firefighter of the year in 2004, and support for Carman is overwhelming among his fellow firefighters and EMTs, some of whom plan to visit Carman as he recuperates from surgery.

EMT Molly Rich said Carman is “fun, caring, he always puts a smile on your face. This is probably the best thing that’s happened to me all year, learning that he’s been put on the transplant list. He’s a great friend of mine.”

Her mother, Mary Rich, deputy chief of the New Gloucester Rescue, agreed.

“George is a guy who never ever complains, even with a lung capacity of 22 percent, you’d never know,” she said. “I’m very happy for him.”

Carman, 44, has never shown self-pity, Doyle said, throughout his life. He was given four days to live at birth due to his diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. He managed to run track in high school, work in the tin shop at Bath Iron Works and have a child with wife Amy.

Now that Carman has been approved for the much-anticipated surgery, the hard work of fund-raisers will come in handy. The money will be used by the family for all non-surgery-related expenses, such as the emergency plane ride to New York when the call comes that lungs are available, as well as housing and food costs during Carman’s recuperation.

“I have to stay at the hospital for 14 days, then live nearby” in an extended-stay motel for up to six months, Carman said. “I have to be close to the hospital in case I get sick,” he said.

He can’t come back to Maine until doctors give the OK due to the risky nature of a lung transplant. The new lungs could fail on their own; his body could reject them; or he could get a post-operative infection, all of which would be life threatening.

But Carman remains optimistic and is willing to take the chance on a new set of lungs, rather than continue to lose lung function due to his ongoing battle with cystic fibrosis.

“It is a gamble. But cystic fibrosis is life-threatening too,” Carman said. “I’m a little nervous, just because of the unknown. We’ve asked a lot of questions of the doctors. We’ve asked a lot of questions of other CF transplant patients. There are a lot of unknowns, which I’m nervous about. But, hey, I was born with CF, I’ll die with CF; the transplant is a hurdle in the road.”

Once the call comes that a set of donor lungs are available, Carman will have to drop everything and rush to New York. Cumberland County Dispatch has agreed to make calls to air and ground transportation companies to make sure Carman gets to the hospital as quickly as possible.

“It could be tomorrow, could be three months, could be six months, we don’t know. But we hope it’s within a year,” Carman said.

Ongoing fundraising

Despite raising almost $200,000 so far, the New Lungs for George group (newlungsforgeorge.com) is still hoping to raise at least another $100,000 and possibly more since post-operative expenses could top $500,000 for the family. The surgery alone costs about $1 million, which will be paid for by Carman’s wife’s insurance.

“He could be down there six months or a year, we just don’t know,” said Doyle. “If there are complications, he could end up having to take out a loan. So if we raise $400,000-$500,000 it would still benefit the family since we don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Amy Carman, an employee at Androscoggin County Superior Court, has been saving up vacation time for years in order to support her husband during the post-operative phase.

“I’m very happy for George. I’m very scared, but he’s so happy to have it done,” Amy Carman said. “We’ve had such overwhelming community support, people coming up to us at the store saying we’re praying for you. The fire department is always helping: plowing in snowstorms, putting in the air conditioner, mowing the lawn, anything we need.”

George Carman, pictured with his fellow New Gloucester firefighters and EMTs at his side at a meeting last week, has been given the green light for a double lung transplant that could help his ailing lungs regain 100 percent capacity. Carman suffers from cystic fibrosis, a debilitating congenital disease that causes thick mucus to build up in the lungs and digestive tract. (Staff photo by John Balentine)