Spencer “Gus” Gustafson grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is tall and blonde and known to his peers as a smiling, laid back guy.

But behind every smile is a story.

At the end of eighth grade, most students are making their last memories of middle school with friends, planning for a summer of hanging out and putting aside feelings of anxiety about high school. However, during Gus’s spring break in California with his extended family, something tragic happened.

His mom had been sick on and off before, but this came about suddenly. Her kidneys were not working properly, and she had to be hospitalized during their stay in California. By the time spring break was over, she couldn’t be moved, and Gus had to fly back home alone, not knowing his mom’s condition or where he would live while she recuperated.

Gus’s friends stepped in and offered their homes and support. Despite the fact that he had a network of friends there to provide a distraction, Gus said, “I felt isolated. But now I know even if I’m having a tough time, there are people who care and love me.”

Gus’s friends helped him feel normal, giving him routine and distraction from worries until his mother was able to arrive home. Once she was back, the doctors in Minnesota found out that “her liver was effectively dead due to years of heavy drinking.”

“Basically the doctor just came in and said ‘You’re not going to live until Christmas if you don’t get a [liver] transplant soon’…That definitely hit me really hard, hearing that you have such a limited time. It’s mortifying…I was terrified. I didn’t want to lose my mom…I realized then, you know, this is it. This is my life; I need to make the most of it.”

Throughout the summer of 2009, Gus had to go back and forth between his house and friends’ houses. “I had this whole network of friends and family.” The final weeks of July, he was staying in Chicago with an uncle. That’s when he realized that, if the transplant procedure didn’t go well, he might have to live there for the rest of high school. “This could be my new home, I guess I better get used to it, come whatever may,” he thought. “It wasn’t easy.”

School started – Gus’s first year of high school. His mom checked into the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, part of the largest integrated medical center in the world, and on Oct. 31, 2009, she got her first liver transplant. The procedure was a success, but after a week or so her body started to reject the liver so she was placed at the top of the donor list. The first week of November was the second transplant. Both the procedure and the liver were successful.

That Christmas was one Gus is glad to remember: “My mom was like, ‘Here I am.’…that’s all I need.” The holidays are a time for “cherishing the people you’re with,” Gus said. It was a perfect time for Gus to treasure everything his experiences gave him, as well as his mom being alive and well.

People go through traumatic times and come out changed, sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse.

For Gus, this change ended up being tremendously positive. “I have a much deeper relationship with my mom, for sure. Going through such a life-threatening experience will definitely bring people together.”

He’s also grateful to the people who were so willing to support him and and who offered their understanding, even if they didn’t fully know how he was feeling. “If I was alone I’d have to face it head on…it would be overwhelming. Now I realize that, yes, people can understand…you’re not alone in the world.”

“After a certain point, I realized you can’t take things for granted… Be positive, but also remain realistic. Be aware of what’s going on around you.”

Tessa Ostvig is the Visuals Editor for the Spartan Speaks

To reach Tessa, email her at [email protected]