FLAGLER BEACH -- On Nov. 19, 1998, a 24-year-old surfer named Tommy Tant was home visiting his parents in Beverly Beach when he died of an aortic aneurysm while sleeping in his childhood bedroom.

No one could have predicted Tant's death would eventually inspire a surfing contest so large Flagler Fish Company owner Chris Casper now calls it "the best day in Flagler every year. "

Tom Tant Sr. terms the condition that took his son's life, Marfan syndrome, a "silent killer," but his son's memory is now giving a voice to this potentially fatal syndrome. Marfan syndrome is a hereditary disorder affecting connective tissue, with the most serious complications being heart defects.

The Tant's know how vital awareness of the disorder can be. The education Tommy's family received about Marfan syndrome in the wake of his passing eventually saved his mother's life and quite possibly that of his brother Will.

Today the family's hope is that the Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic, which wrapped up Sunday and is now in its 12th year, can help save someone else's life.

This surfing contest started as a high school project by friends wanting to honor Tommy. It has evolved into an event improbably high profile for a city so unassuming its residents call it Mayberry by the Sea.

On Saturday, 6,000 people came and went throughout the day's activities, according to Flagler Beach Fire Department personal.

The event now draws Red Bull and Nautica as title sponsors. Fuel TV and Brighthouse cover the event. The surfboard company Channel Islands from California participates and recording artists from Oregon and Colorado flew in to play at Veterans Park.

"It gives me goose bumps thinking about it," Will Tant said of what has blossomed from his brother's passing.

"It's a script that we're not writing," he said. "Each year it unfolds completely differently, one year saving my mother's life. . . this year, raising awareness for (the National) Marfan Foundation (about) aortic aneurysms."

Carolyn Levering, the president of the National Marfan Foundation, came to this year's Tommy Tant Memorial.

There is no organized reporting of deaths related to Marfan syndrome so there is a "frustrating" lack of statistics about the disorder, Levering said.

But Levering said the syndrome is found in all ethnicities in men and women, and when it affects the heart, it can be fatal at any age.

"Our message is clear, early evaluation saves lives," Levering said.

It's a lesson the Tant family has taken to heart.

The loss of his brother inspired Will Tant to pursue a professional surfing career. He eventually began traveling the world for photo shoots in big waves for a host of companies, including that of Aaron Chang, one of the premier surfing photographers in the world.

A decade after his brother died, while visiting home to help organize the Tommy Tant memorial event, Will remembered the words of his brother's coroner.

"I went on the (National Marfan Foundation) website and I realized I had a lot of the same characteristics. I went to the doctor three weeks later and that's when they diagnosed me," Will said.

Will's doctors requested that his parents have echocardiograms done to provide them with background information.

Barbara said when the doctors saw her echocardiogram, a test than can detect aortic aneurysms, "the doctors said I didn't have six weeks left."

Barbara had lifesaving heart surgery in 2010, and doctors told Will he had an aortic aneurysm advanced enough that it was no longer safe for him to surf big waves.

Hearing that warning "was probably the second hardest thing I've gone through in my life," Will said.

"I was kind of going to go against the doctors orders and just surf because I identified with surfing so much."

Will said when he realized that he was receiving the lifesaving medical guidance that could have saved his brother's life it empowered him to walk away from his career and the only lifestyle he'd ever known.

"I'm given the choice to live my brother never had. And my mother was given the same choice. And we're going to take that and we're going to raise awareness by putting on this event," Will said.

Will found a new career as a model for Nautica, a company who's president Karen Murray has a son with Marfan. Murray said of that connection with Will: "It was meant to be."

Since the Tommy Tant surfing contest was started, the event has grown "exponentially," said Casper, the owner of the Flagler Fish Company restaurant.

Four years ago, Casper and his surfing buddy, Gary Maresca, the owner of Blue at the Topaz restaurant, began a food festival to aid the contest's mission of raising money for scholarships, the food bank and heart health awareness.

"It's probably the best day in Flagler every year," Casper said.

The Tommy Tant has come to symbolize a celebration of life, Will said, because it's a chance for people to gather and say, "My life is better because you're in it. We don't celebrate that enough."

Tommy Tant Memorial exceeds expectations again

Another Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic is in the books, and in its 12th year, the event is still exceeding expectations with its combination of grass roots vibes and big splashy attractions.

The event held at the Flagler Beach Pier ended Sunday.

Flagler Beach's Dan Worley, one of the surfers who founded the event 12 years ago as a high school project to honor the life and death of his friend Tommy, won the bodyboard division.

"The first year we had 60 people in all the divisions," Worley said. "We'd have it done in one day and now. . . we're almost running out of time in one weekend to let it be what it could be."

Some 300 surfers entered this year. The National Scholastic Surfing Association national champion Cam Richards from South Carolina claimed the Men's Pro title.

New Smyrna Beach pro surfer Aaron Cormican took third. He's surfed the X-Games and has been in the Tommy Tant six times.

"It's a killer vibe," he said of the Flagler Beach event. "It's big for the community here. Everyone gets together and celebrates."

For the second year, the Red Bull Night Riders jet ski powered aerial trick contest was held. Giant white lanterns lined the pier to illuminate the ocean under a nearly full moon.

"Look at this atmosphere! This is pretty rad," said the 2001 World Champion, C.J. Hobgood of Satellite Beach, who surfed in the Night Riders.

The beach was packed from the dunes to the water's edge with people of all ages.

12th annual Tommy Tant Memorial Surf Classic

At the Flagler Beach Pier.

Men's Pro:1. Cam Richards; 2. Jeremy Johnston; 3. Aaron Cormican; 4. Jessie Heilman.

Women's Pro:1. Amy Nicholl; 2. Nikki Viesins; 3. Savannah Bradley; 4. Cierra Cunningham.

Junior Pro:1. Noah Schweizer; 2. Cam Richardson; 3. Eros Exarhou; 4 Nathan Colburn.

Bodyboard Pro:1. Daniel Worley; 2. Austin Dalton; 3. Steven Tyson; 4. Luis Linares.

Women:1. Haley Watson; 2. Ashely Capitola; 3. Amanda Giberson; 4. Chandle Von Cannon; 5. Julie Brown; 6. Maggie Dorries.

Boys:1. Chauncey Robinson; 2. Caleb Goepfert; 3. Cobie Gittner; 4. Fisher Grant; 5. Keenan Cunningham; 6. Chase Stevens.

Men:1. Austin Close; 2. Ben Lacy; 3. Cole Gittner; 4. Stephan Nipple; 5. Tim Deaton; 6. Eric Worley.

Jr. Men:1. Eros Exarhou; 2. Matthew Zaccaria; 3. J.T. Saunders; 4. Dylan Martin; 5. Fisher Grant; 6. Wiley Robinson.

Junior Girls:1. Rossi Klein; 2. Cierra Cunningham; 3. Piper Austin; 4. Jazmine Dean; 5. Elena Sopranzi; 6. Shawna Wenztzel.

Masters:1. Jimmy Blumenfeld; 2. Ben Lacy; 3. Stephan Nipple; 4. Mike Deaton; 5. Kyle Wilson; 6. Paul Lange.

Grandmaster:1. Jay Smith; 2. Rob Linsley; 3. Steve Hutton; 4. Denny Dean; 5. Walter Snell; 6. Mark Kincaid.

Women's Longboard:1. Amanda Giberson; 2. Emilia Sopranzi; 3. Addie Gibson; 4. Maggie Dorries; 5. Tori Moore; 6. Erin Sheilds.

Men's Longboard:1. Fisher Grant; 2. Canon Embrey; 3. Christopher Lind; 4. Josh Richards; 5. Matt Novak; 6. Sunny Stevens.

Tadpole:1. Joel Luteran; 2. Evan Tyson; 3. Andrew Fossom; 4. Eden Lange; 5. Brody Moore; 6. Gabriel Ramos.

Menehune:1. Rob McCormick; 2. Tommy Coleman; 3. Brayton Bryant; 4. Noah Dovin; 5. Chase Elmore; 6. Ryan Conklin.