The tale of flatland BMX rider Chase Gouin, hailed in his sport for his biking skill, provides an interesting case study into just how dangerous toxic mold is and what can happen to even the healthiest of people without a proper mold inspection.

The 39-year-old, born in Ontario, was a professional athlete and, by all accounts, a very active and healthy person. However, a few weeks ago he was diagnosed with internal fungus and a parasite. The fungus and parasites have invaded his body from the inside out, consuming most of the nutrition and vitamins from his food and severely weakening his immune system.

The culprit? You guessed it – toxic mold. According to Brandon Fenton, Gouin’s friend and a fellow rider, “Chase was exposed to toxic levels of mold in the basement apartment where he was living for over five years and unknowingly breathing in the mold spores has made him very sick.”

The list of symptoms is enough to make feel someone sick just reading it. Reportedly, Gouin has suffered for almost two years 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.”

It may seem odd to relate BMX to the importance of certified mold inspections but a closer look at Chase Gouin’s tale makes the connection pretty obvious. There aren’t many more concrete examples of mold’s long-term effects than this. Live with undetected mold for five years and what happened to Gouin will happen to you.

As sorry as we feel for Gouin, the truth is that his illness was very preventable. Living in a moist place like a basement meant his dwelling was at risk from the start. If only he or his landlord had arranged for proper mold testing before the horrible damage was done to Gouin’s body.

Hopefully, his suffering won’t be in vain. We can at least use his story as a cautionary tale about the danger of toxic mold.

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