Meet Jeff, Jessica, and Nicholas Gustafson of Washington.
Why are the Gustafsons uniting for the cure?
Jeff and Jessica Gustafson were overjoyed to find out they were expecting their first child in the Fall of 2007. Several months later at a routine ultrasound, when they found out they were expecting a boy, they started planning a future full of the things they love to do as a family: boating, camping trips, riding at the sand dunes, and Jeff couldn’t wait to teach his little boy to shoot hoops. However, their dreams for their adorable son, Nicholas, were shattered when he was diagnosed with SMA in April 2009 at 10-months-old. The Gustafsons were crushed at the severity of Nicholas’ diagnosis. They mourned the loss of a lifetime of moments they would never get to experience with him. Before Nicholas’ diagnosis, they had never heard of SMA and neither had the people closest to them. They started a blog to keep their family and friends up-to-date on Nicholas’ battle with SMA: FamilyWithGusto.blogspot.com. Nicholas was diagnosed with SMA Type II, which means that, fortunately, his health has not yet started to decline. He has limited movement, but is a very happy, social, and intelligent little boy. He is the light of their lives and they are committed to finding a cure for their son and all children impacted by SMA. The Gustafsons have faith that by participating in Unite For The Cure their child will receive the treatment he needs to live a full, healthy life and that all the dreams they had for him before his diagnosis, might just come true.
We are honored that the Gustafsons have decided to Unite For The Cure and we can’t wait to share their “uniting” stories over the next few months.
