Jerry Couvillon’s story with FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake started before he ever went home from the hospital, and it’s still unfolding today.
“I was born at the Lake in 1959 when it was by the lake downtown,” he says. “I had life-saving surgery when I was 12 hours old, and they’ve been saving my life since.”
Today, Jerry is a two-time cancer survivor, a volunteer in the infusion center at Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute, a Marine Corps veteran, father and grandfather.
A Cancer Journey
Jerry’s first cancer diagnosis came in 2017.
“They found a tumor in my left lung and it was cancerous,” he says. “So they took out my left lung completely — a pneumonectomy. I went through chemo and all that and finally went into remission.”
A few years later, cancer returned.
“About two and a half years ago they found a lymph node swollen up on my windpipe,” he says. “They biopsied that, and it came back cancer.”
After 33 rounds of radiation, chemotherapy and more than a year of immunotherapy, Jerry was in remission again and has been for the last six months.
“I went through it twice and I’m still walking,” he says.
Through both journeys, Jerry says one thing has been constant: care he can trust.
Care Since Day One
Jerry’s care team at Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute made a lasting impression.
He doesn’t hesitate when asked who stands out:
“Dr. (Greg) Bizette and his staff, his nurses, and all the nurses and team members in the infusion center are just wonderful,” he says. “They go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. They really do care.”
And for him, that feeling stretches back across his entire life.
“Our Lady of the Lake has been saving my life since the day I was born,” Jerry says. “They’ve been saving me since.”
Giving Back in the Infusion Center
Now, Jerry spends his time giving comfort to people who are right where he’s been.
“I go in the infusion center and help them out,” he says. “Mainly just talk to patients. I’m able to relate with them because I’ve been one of them, too.”
He says the experience is deeply meaningful.
“They have questions for me, and I think they help me out more than I help them out,” he says. “It’s rewarding. It really is, and I enjoy it.”
Earlier attempts at volunteering didn’t feel like the right fit, but the infusion center does.
“Now I get to establish relationships,” he explains. “When I walk in the waiting room, it’s ‘Oh, Mr. Jerry, come say hi.’ I get to come see them.”
A Life Shaped by Service, Family and Faith
Jerry is a Marine Corps veteran and longtime professional salesperson, careers that taught him how to connect with people.
“If you can’t talk to someone, you aren’t going to make it in sales,” he laughs. “The big thing is listening. I like to listen. You pick up a lot of stuff.”
He carries deep love for his late wife, his four children, two stepchildren and 10 grandchildren. He also lost his brother to cancer, and his perspective on the disease is blunt and compassionate.
“Cancer doesn’t care who you are, how much you make, your religion or your political views,” he says. “Cancer treats everybody the same.”
His faith has also grown through his journey.
“I devote myself to the Lord. I spread the gospel to whoever I can,” he says. “I thank the Lord for giving me cancer because it saved my eternal life.”
On Not Giving Up
Jerry’s determination sharpened during his second diagnosis. He remembers riding with his daughter on the way to a biopsy.
“I remember saying, ‘If it comes back cancer you know what’s going to happen,’” he recalls. “She says, ‘Yeah, you’re going to do something I’ve never seen you do before: give up.’”
“That lit a fire in me. I’m not going to give up,” Jerry says. “And if cancer comes back again, if it takes me, I’m going to go down fighting.”
On January 14, Jerry will be recognized as an FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Geaux Hero during the LSU Men’s Basketball game against Kentucky, celebrating his courage, resilience and service to others.
“I’ve never been to LSU basketball,” he says. “I’ve been to plenty of LSU football. I’m excited about going.”
And what does he hope people take away from hearing his story?
That hope, faith and compassion matter and that no one fights alone.
