ONE NSU MAGAZINE GIFT FROM THE HEART LAUNCHES ALS CENTER OF EXCELLENCE How does a love story that began in Chicago, Illinois, morph into a heartbreaking, yet hope- ful, tale about the creation of a trailblazing ALS Association Certified Treatment Center of Excellence™ at Nova Southeastern University? It all started in 2000, when David Husman, J.D., founder and chairman of Heartland Real Estate Partners, met his future wife Cathy, a restaurant owner and executive. The couple quickly became inseparable, marrying in 2003 and embarking on a beautiful life together filled with international travel and working side by side in the real estate industry. Several years ago, however, Cathy Husman was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)—a progressive, fatal neurological disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement and breathing. Because a cure doesn’t exist yet for ALS, which is more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, extending a patient’s life by managing symptoms is the current standard of care. Although the Husmans had sought treatment from many national sources, they decided to visit a leading, Florida-based neurologist named Eduardo Locatelli, M.D., M.P.H., the founding director of what was formerly known as the NSU Health Neuroscience Institute. Cathy Husman attended routine, multidisciplinary clinic appointments to manage her complex bulbar ALS symptoms, which included difficulties with breathing, eating, speaking, and swallowing. Although her condition was challenging, Locatelli and his team provided compassionate, dedicated care, supporting Cathy Husman through every step of her journey. Their efforts inspired David Husman to undertake an extraordinary philanthropic endeavor to honor his wife, who passed away in February 2023, and help future generations of ALS patients. In October 2023, NSU Health announced that David Husman had pledged $10 million to support and enhance neuroscience and ALS research. The gift resulted in the naming of the NSU Health David and Cathy Husman Neuroscience Institute and its Cathy J. Husman ALS Center, as well as the creation of the NSU Health David and Cathy Husman Endowed Chair for Neuroscience. That momentous announcement was followed by an even bigger one this January, when NSU revealed Husman had made an additional IN THE NEWS LEARN ABOUT HISTORIC GIFTS, NEW FUNDING, AND MUCH MORE. NSU 60
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