At 75, Father Paul Gousse has spent a lifetime caring for others. Over the past two years, however, he found himself on the receiving end—facing life-threatening illness, major surgery and ultimately what his cardiologist calls nothing short of a miracle.
In December 2024, he was rushed by ambulance to Catholic Medical Center with a severe upper gastrointestinal bleed.
“I almost died,” he recalls. “They had to give me four units of blood.”
Complicating his condition was a recent diagnosis of multiple myeloma. He spent nearly three weeks in the hospital, including more than a week in intensive care.
Yet for Father Paul, healing came from more than medicine.
“I’m very close with the sisters at St. Marie’s. They stayed with me 24/7,” he says. “Had it not been for them, I don’t know if I would have made it.”
One year later, in December 2025, he returned to the same hospital — this time for emergency open-heart surgery.
After several days of monitoring, he underwent a double bypass on December 6 and was discharged just four days later.
“The care was very different,” he says. “The response time was better. Everything felt stronger.”
While he can’t pinpoint every change, he believes improvements in staffing and resources played a role. “I don’t know everything that changed, but it made a difference.”
His recovery exceeded expectations. In cardiac rehabilitation, his care team set a goal of 40% improvement—he achieved more than triple that.
“I improved 130 percent,” he says.
Within weeks, he was back celebrating Christmas Mass.
“My cardiologist told me I was a walking miracle.”
Even during his hospital stays, Father Paul continued his ministry.
“While I was there, I brought people back to the Church,” he says.
He helped several individuals—including staff—reconnect with their faith.
“You never stop being a priest,” he says.
Father Paul’s story reflects more than clinical success. It highlights the intersection of healing, presence and purpose.
He believes stories like his are essential.
“Word of mouth is the best—or worst—form of advertising,” he says. “It’s going to take stories like mine, and stories from staff, to show people what care is really like.”
Now, at 75, Father Paul continues to recover—stronger than expected and deeply grateful. His journey is one of resilience, community, and faith, a reminder that healing can take many forms—and sometimes comes full circle.
His experience also underscores Catholic Medical Center’s commitment to cardiac care. The hospital recently marked 500 open-heart surgeries since its acquisition and more than 26,000 procedures over the past 40 years. Today, CMC cardiologists perform the highest volume of open-heart surgeries in Southern New Hampshire—where experience drives excellence.