UPDATE: The PayPal e-mail address has been updated. If you donated to the previous one, please feel free to cancel payment and transfer to the new one.
We have a bit of sad news today. Chase Gouin has been going through some serious medical conditions and could use a helping hand. If you’d like to donate and help out, you can PayPal some funds to chasegouinrecoveryfund@gmail.com (that donate button on the right should do the trick).
Please continue reading after the jump for the full letter about his situation from his good friend, Brandon Fenton. Below is a quick one from Chase.
BMX Friends,
This is Chase Gouin, I am writing quickly to say that the letter from Brandon Fenton is the truth of my situation, just in case some people think it’s a joke. This is a real and serious matter. Just for the record, I fully realize that i have not been an active/popular or relevant rider according to modern flatland, and I do not expect that the sport owes me anything. I am simply in need of help and hoping that some of you will be able to donate. Brandon is a long time friend of mine who has agreed to help me by reaching out to the BMX public. Also, my good friend Ryan Quinn from my hometown has set up a Paypal account and will transfer any donations into his bank and the money will be given directly to me for medical expenses only. I will be keeping all receipts so that I can prove my expenses to anyone who needs to know in the future. I thank you all for your time and consideration regarding my health problems.
Sincerely,
Chase Gouin
Friends,
Flatlander Chase Gouin has some medical problems that are very serious. A high-tech DNA laboratory in the U.S has diagnosed him with fungus inside his whole body (cells, tissues, bloodstream) and a parasite. He sent stool samples through the mail to be tested there. These organisms consume most of the nutrition and vitamins from his food so they cannot produce useful energy. This is called a mal absorption disease which was also diagnosed. Because of this, his immune system is very weak and now many normal substances in the environment cause him to have severe physical reactions.
Chase was exposed to toxic levels of mold in the basement apartment where he was living for over 5 years and unknowingly breathing in the mold spores has made him very sick. We know this from mold tests that were also confirmed by a scientific laboratory. The Parasite is possibly from many mosquito bites he received when he was in Panama, November 2008.
Chase has moved into a clean apartment, with an air purifier and all natural cleaning products. He eats a special diet with no yeast or sugars and takes the highest quality natural supplements designed to fight fungus and parasites and strengthen the immune system, but nothing has improved his health. He has also been tested and scanned for many other more common medical conditions and diseases, but mainstream Doctors are not educated in the types of illnesses that Chase has, so they cannot diagnose anything and therefore refuse to treat him with the proper medications. This is a problem in Canada because there are no laboratories to confirm these unusual diseases.
Chase is now in a desperate search to find what is called an Integrated Medical Doctor who has worked with these special labs and has knowledge in these areas. These doctors are not payed for by the Health Insurance Plan in Canada. Chase is in financial debt due to the costs of searching for real solutions to these rare illnesses. He has been suffering for 20 months with toxic headaches, a feeling of cracking pressure and pain in his face, many sinus issues, along with chronic fatigue and weakness leaving him unable to function normally. The pain medication he takes helps him function just enough to continue researching Doctors and possible cures, but now he must stop because they are becoming a risk to his liver. His life is in real trouble. It is becoming impossible to sustain these levels of physical and emotional pain. He needs to find a Doctor soon who has experience in treating and curing these types of infestations, and who will take decisive action to do so. Heavy duty intravenous anti-fungal/anti-parasitic drugs may be required.
The BMX community recognizes Chase as a creative, passionate and intense Rider who has contributed to the evolution of our Sport and Art. Due to extreme suffering, Chase is unable to practice and is left with a sadness and emptiness that we would all feel if unable to pursue what we love the most. As a long time friend of Chase, I now reach out to you all and kindly ask you to donate whatever amount of money you can afford so that Chase can pay for the continued search for Doctors, medicines, and treatments he needs to save his life. The Athlete Recovery Fund has agreed to financially assist Chase towards his cause, but he cannot depend on that as the only source for help, and that is why we need your support as well. Please help Chase in his mission to regain his health, quality of life, and riding that has inspired so many of us throughout the years.
Donations may be sent via paypal to the following address: chasegouinfundraiser@gmail.comChase’s close personal friend Ryan Quinn has set up the paypal account on Chase’s behalf since Chase doesn’t have a credit card. So don’t be alarmed if Ryan’s name shows up on your paypal receipt. All of your donations are going directly to supporting Chase’s recovery mission.
Sincerely,
Brandon Fenton
In case you missed it, here are a couple edits we put together with him in 2009. Get well soon Chase :)
