GUSTIN MEMORIAL GOLF CLASSIC

Michael Gustin passed away on July 23, 2015, at the age of 64 years old. Mike battled heart disease since 1996, when he went in for his first heart surgery at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, under the care of Dr. Carey Kimmelstiel. Throughout the years, he had many visits to the hospital, resulting in multiple surgeries, heart attacks, strokes, etc. It wasn’t until September 2014 that his heart disease progressed and he was diagnosed with Heart Failure.

​

Calling for an ambulance was becoming the “norm” for the Gustin family. Heart Failure was now beginning to diminish Mike’s quality of life and he needed to be hospitalized 24/7. Mike needed to stay in the hospital for over two months on the most critically intensive floor in the hospital, the Cardiomyopathy Center, at Tufts Medical Center. It wasn’t until then that Mike and his family were told that he needed a new heart. During those difficult months, Mike’s family would drive into the hospital daily, praying and hoping for a miracle. Repeatedly, they hoped the doctors could fix the problem as they always did and their beloved Mike would be able to come home.

​

It was in February 2015 that Mike and his family were told the devastating news. Mike would not be a candidate for the LVAD and receiving a new heart was no longer a possibility. Devastated, they all decided to make Mike’s last wish a reality by bringing him home to be cared for by his family, Dr. Amanda Vest from Tufts Medical, and South Shore Visiting Nurses nurse, Jay Bates. Remarkably, Mike was able to stay home without hospital visitations for almost 5 1/2 months.

​

During those difficult months, back-and-forth from the hospital, Mike’s daughter was blessed to meet Patrick Sullivan. Pat, a heart transplant survivor and one of the founders of The HeartBrothers, met Laurie at the parking garage outside of Tufts Medical Center. Patrick immediately reached out and, from that day forward, he was there to support the family. Although Mike did not meet Pat, he knew of him and his eagerness to help, whether emotional, physical, or financial.

​

When people think of Mike, they think of how generous and kind he was to everyone he would meet. One of Mike’s accomplishments, many years ago, was launching a celebrity golf tournament to raise money for Cerebral Palsy. This tournament still exists today, after 30 years, raising over $1.6 million dollars. Mike’s love for golf, and Mike’s acts of generosity and kindness over the years, led the Gustin Family and HeartBrothers to start this Annual Golf Classic in 2016 in memory of Mike.