“Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles” – Alex Karras
Brenden Gust is a young man who upon first sight appears diminutive in stature.
I saw the young man in a Rhinos practice jersey 2 years ago and thought he was one of the bantam kids skating with the team.
But to watch Brenden play you quickly see he defies human physicality.
He grows and shrinks in an instant like a superhero.
In a game he becomes a giant, throwing his body around, physically taking on all comers regardless of size, with a fearless, reckless abandon.
Then he goes into the corner and becomes small and finds the puck through a thicket of skates and sticks and emerges with it only to become a giant again and make a pass or rifle a Giant’s shot on goal.
I had never seen a kid like Brenden Gust, you watch him play and you cease to see him as having a size disadvantage.
He may not take up much space between his skate blades to the top of his helmet but make no mistake he is a giant in heart, soul, and desire.
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog” – Mark Twain
This unfortunately, isn’t about Brenden as a player; it’s about him as a person.
Brenden is facing a new challenge, as some of you may have heard, he has been diagnosed with CML (chronic myelogenous leukemia).
Naturally those of us that have seen Brenden play know that he blows through obstacles like Godzilla walking through Tokyo but this is a fight that is going to take the support of his family, friends, and fans alike.
“The toughest kid I’ve ever seen” – The Soundguy
He can’t do it alone so we’re all dropping the mitts to help Brenden on this one, because he’d do it for anyone of us.
So look for a “Donate” button to be appearing soon on the Rhinos Website, this is one of several things we have planned and all the money collected will go directly to the Gust family to help pay for medical expenses.
“You can’t teach hard work and heart, and Brenden was a perfect example of both” – Coach Herman
So if you see it, please donate, every bit helps.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia, Gusto’s coming for you and he’s got the whole Rhino Nation coming with him so expect a fight like you’ve never experienced before!
#GoForGusto
