Marshfield, MA – July 25, 2022 – Mike Gustin loved golf so much he built a two-hole course with professional putting greens in his Duxbury backyard. On August 1, his family will host the 6th annual Gustin Golf Classic in his memory at the Marshfield Country Club where he played for two decades.
“My dad was the best husband and father anyone could ever ask for and he would do anything for anyone to make them happy and their lives easier,” said daughter Katie Gerstel of Marshfield.
The Gustin Golf Classic has sold out every year and raised nearly $400,000 for the HeartBrothers Foundation, a nonprofit that supports people with heart failure and their families. This year’s tournament is August 1.
Gustin battled heart disease for more than 20 years, enduring multiple surgeries, heart attacks, and strokes. In 2014, he was diagnosed with heart failure and doctors determined he was too sick to be eligible for a new heart. He died the following year at the age of 64.
On frequent visits to Tufts Medical Center to visit their dad, Katie and her siblings met Pat Sullivan, co-founder of the HeartBrothers Foundation. Sullivan, a heart failure and transplant patient, immediately offered to help.
“All the HeartBrothers we have met over the years have honestly been the nicest, most appreciative people,” Gerstel said. “They got a second chance in life, and it shows. Every HeartBrother sincerely wants to help families.”
The HeartBrothers Foundation serves thousands of heart failure patients with emotional and financial support, a patient support group, educational webinars and other resources. The Foundation also runs the HeartBrothers House in Boston, where heart failure patients and their families can stay during treatment.
Sullivan started the HeartBrothers in 2014 along with Bob Romer. The two men met when they each spent a year at Tufts Medical Center waiting for new hearts. They promised each other that if they survived, they would dedicate the rest of their lives to helping other heart failure patients.
“This is our mission because we know how challenging and complicated the heart failure journey is, not just for patients but for their families. We are so grateful that we met the Gustins. They are remarkable people and they’re truly making a big impact - in Mike’s memory.”
At this year’s tournament, recent heart transplant recipient Jim Lang will speak about the power of community and the importance of transplant survivors sharing their stories and supporting each other.
To learn more about the Gustin Golf Classic, go to heartbrothers.org/gustin-golf.
For media photos from past Gustin Golf tournaments, click HERE.