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By Mandy Haggerson 

For the Clemmons Courier

Small in stature but large in courage, Robert Muster has experienced a lot of challenges in life, but through determination and an abundance of optimism he has made a great life for himself, first in Georgia and now in Clemmons.

When Muster was born, the third child in his family, his parents and siblings were elated. His brother was a third grader then and received the joyful news at school while his class was in the cafeteria. Joe Muster announced, “It’s a boy!” and all the boys cheered loudly (the girls, not so much). 

When Muster was six weeks old, his mother, a former surgical nurse, thought she noticed that he had hernias. She took him to their pediatrician who confirmed her suspicions about the hernias. After putting a stethoscope to Muster’s chest, she received news that she wasn’t expecting to hear — her baby had a serious heart defect.

Muster was then sent off to Egleston Children’s Hospital in Atlanta, an affiliate of Emory University. There, his parents learned that he had an atrial-septal defect; a “hole in his heart.” Egleston could fix his hernias, but they couldn’t repair his heart. It was too challenging for their surgeons since Muster was barely above his birth weight. To save him, they opened his chest and put a restrictive band around his pulmonary artery. That repair bought him four years of life.

Muster needed a permanent solution; he still wasn’t thriving. Doctors would need to open his chest again and then cut open his heart to repair the missing chamber walls — a very challenging task in 1971. He needed to go to the University of Alabama’s Heart Center in Birmingham (UAB), much to his parent’s surprise.

Muster’s mother had been a surgical nurse at Johns Hopkins, and met Dr. Alfred Blaylock there, who had pioneered open heart surgery on infants to repair their hearts known as “Blue Babies.” Muster’s parents assumed that’s where they would seek care.

But Muster’s parents were persuaded to head to Alabama. Dr. John Kirklin, the renowned heart surgeon at Mayo Clinic, had started a surgical heart center at UAB a few years earlier. There was no better surgeon in the country for Muster’s repair.

The surgery went well, and Muster improved. Over the years, as he aged, more procedures were needed including valves, an ablation, a pacemaker implant and more. But Muster has persevered.  

Besides his heart issues, Muster also copes with a learning disability, which didn’t stand in the way of having a career. His mother tutored him during his preparation to take the GED. 

“Because of my learning disability, I had difficulties succeeding in public school and never earned a diploma,” Muster said. “But I was unsatisfied. So, I asked my parents whether I should try to get a GED, and they said — ‘Go for it’.  My mother spent hours helping me learn the subject matter well enough to take the test. And my parents were so proud of me when I passed. And I was proud of myself.”

Muster worked a number of years in his early adulthood as a mailroom staffer at defense department offices on the Lockheed property in Marietta, Georgia. It was a job he loved, but government cutbacks meant his job was eliminated too. 

Muster has been a bagger with Publix for 18 years and has earned multiple employee awards. He also takes great pride in being financially independent.

“One of the best decisions I ever made was to invest in the stock market as soon as I got my first job years ago,” said Muster. “My brother, Joe, was in the investment business all his life and encouraged me to believe in the future of the United States and invest in its best companies using mutual funds. It’s funny how a little bit saved that way over many years can grow and grow.”

So, what does Muster enjoy doing when he is not working at Publix? 

“There are so many things I enjoy in life,” Muster said.  “Reading, cooking and watching sports, movies and old TV shows. And going to ball games. Sometimes I go to games at local high schools or Wake Forest, but sometimes my brother Joe takes me out of town to games as well. In fact, we just returned from a trip to the Myrtle Beach Bowl. That was a good destination for me, since I call myself a ‘beach bum.’ I’ll go to the beach any season of the year.”

Muster has become a Duke fan, too. 

“I’m a lifelong sports fan but I have to admit, while I lived in Georgia, I didn’t pay much attention to any of the colleges in North Carolina,” Muster said. “But after moving to Clemmons in 2021, I began receiving most of my cardiology care from them. I feel that I’ve become a part of their community. They’ve given me a lot of good care and made me into a big fan.”

In addition to being an avid sports fan, Muster has tackled a new favorite hobby.

“All my life, I wanted to play the piano and a year ago I decided there was no better time to start than now. I’ve been taking weekly lessons from Candace at the Guitar Center and that has been one of the best things that I’ve ever done for myself. I might never stop taking lessons,” said Muster. 

Muster likes reporting his adventures to his nieces.

“I love all my family, but my nieces are extra special to me,” Muster said. “I have five of them — Katherine, Abigale, Christina, Jennifer and Mary. They mean everything to me. I love sending them cards for any occasion, and surprising them with money. I also love staying in touch with them whether it’s text or visiting with them.” 

Family reminds Muster how important appreciating those moments are, especially with both parents deceased.

“I thank God for every day that I get to wake up. I have so much to live for,” said Muster.