Dr. Gary Marklin

10 Things I Cannot Live Without

Photography by Matt Marcinkowski

At the age of 61, Dr. Gary Marklin started a new career. Already a critical care specialist and pulmonologist at St. Anthony’s Medical Center, he opted to assume the additional position of chief medical officer at Mid-America Transplant. Now 63, Dr. Marklin and his staff of more than 150 members change lives and give people second chances. Every. Single. Day.

Last year, MTS had its biggest year: 618 lifesaving organ transplants made possible by 190 organ donors. Gifts from 1,500 tissue donors restored sight, treated burns and other wounds. With nearly 1,400 patients in St. Louis waiting for an organ transplant, Dr. Marklin is a very busy man. We wondered what he would deem essential for someone who recovers the organs required to save lives.

1.    A dedicated mission-driven team of healthcare professionals that “help me manage an organ donor ultimately to transplantation, to save a person’s life.”

2.    CT scanner, “one of the most significant advancements in medicine in the last 30 years and one that is utilized by essentially all medical disciplines.”

3.    Latex exam gloves: “You never know what you’re going to find.”

4.    His wife

5.    Learning something new every day: “Life is too short not to be continually learning.”

6.    His Catholic faith: “The beacon guiding my life.”

7.    His red LeMond Sarthe platinum-steel road bike, with more than 9,000 miles (although he wouldn’t miss the slow walkers occupying the entire width of the bike path in Forest Park).

8.    His Delta contractor table saw and all his woodworking tools, which allow him to build furniture for his three grown children, and grandson, Gus.

9.    Smiling and laughing: “In a world marked with anxiety, tragedy and depression, a sense of humor can brighten a person’s day.”

10. Toilet paper: “No explanation needed.”

*Organ and tissue donor registry facts and information available at www.registerme.org