Michael Gustafson’s legacy will far surpass his life

Michael Gustafson was 15-years-old when he lost his battle with medulloblastoma Jan. 6.  Just 15-years-old.

By the time most of us are 15, we have decided that we like chemistry and so maybe we might want to be a scientist. We have maybe, just maybe, gleaned 15 seconds of playing time in our very first varsity game. We are sitting at the starting line of life, hoping that by the time we finish we are going to do something worth being remembered for.

Mikey was just 15, but he is going to be remembered.

Mikey did not graduate college, and he will never get the chance to. He was not an Olympian or a veteran or a scientist or a Pulitzer Prize winner.

He was a freshmen, a brother, a son, a golfer. And from what I gathered in the time I talked to him towards the end of his life, quite the little comedian. He has left a legacy within his family and community with grace far beyond his years. Mikey realized far too soon that his life, as it was in the current moment, would be his story – and he made it a story worth reading.

He made a remarkable plot out of a string of rather unremarkable individual days. He reveled in the joy of his family. When I was interviewing him, he told me that he appreciated the simple things, like eating. After this, he took a huge scoop of cookies n’ cream ice cream and smiled. And I was amazed.

Mikey was smart and knew that his story would have fewer pages than his friend’s and family’s. His mom, Patti, explained to me that just like any teenager, Mikey was looking for meaning in life. He just had less time to find it.

Through the Van Andel Research Center, Mikey found a source to make his life resonate. Of the many ways in which he demonstrated remarkable courage, Michael’s decision to donate his tissues to scientific research was the one that stood out to me most. He didn’t do it for glory though. He donated because he was selfless to the core. He told me back in October that the decision was made because he didn’t want others to suffer through his disease and because he knew that the research he was aiding could potentially one day save the life of someone in his family.

When a 15-year-old boy with sunken eyes and graying skin shows such compassion and love for this world, it is hard to understand why so many others cannot.

Most of us think that the depth we’re searching for is going to come when we’re sitting in a rocking chair watching our grandchildren play. But as Mikey showed us – the meaning we’re searching for is right in front of us. It is big and bright yellow, with flashing lights, screaming sirens, begging to be seen.

All we have to do is be cognizant of it. We just have to look. Mikey looked – the way he shared his vision is why our community will continue to remember him.