FOLLOW ME

ABOUT

Hi, my name is Marc Horowitz, and I am going to ride my bicycle from San Francisco to my home in Los Angeles to raise money to save my friend Chris’ life.

Chris was a healthy father who actively participated in activities with his 11 year-old son and wife before he was struck by an undefined illness 8 years ago that was recently identified as late-disseminated, or stage 3, Lyme disease. Now he is in excruciating pain and doesn’t have the energy to do anything but sit or lie down. His current health care provider, Medicare, doesn’t fully support treatment of stubborn cases of Lyme Disease.

San Francisco is 2,664,000 FEET from LA. If I can raise just ONE CENT for every foot I travel, I can give Chris $26,640 towards his mounting medical bills.

This is where YOU come in.

I can only bike as far as YOUR DONATIONS take me.. literally!
If you donate $1, I’ll pedal 100 feet and then stop until the next donation rolls in. $100 moves me 10,000 feet $1,000 takes me 100,000 feet. Get it?

BUT

I only have 15 days to complete my trip, and I’ll be documenting the whole thing and posting updates right here on this site. You’ll be able to follow me on the map in real-time and watch your pennies push me home.

Remember: Every donation counts. For every cent donated, we’re one foot closer to our goal. My ride is powered by your donations.

ABOUT CHRIS

Hi, I’m Chris Vatuone. At 47 years of age, I’m both a husband and a father of an 11 year old boy named Nicholas. Five months ago, I was diagnosed with Lyme and Mold illness after being ill for over seven and a half years.

My illness began on April 19th, 2005. It came on suddenly at work, following a gradual onset over some months prior. For the last seven years, I’ve been unable to function normally as I’ve gotten progressively worse and worse. I was initially diagnosed with major depressive disorder, but when none of the conventional treatments brought any relief, I started questioning the diagnosis.

Before this all began, I was an active and healthy person. I enjoyed various aspects of life, such as nature photography, mountain biking, hiking, snowboarding and cooking. I worked full-time and was a family man, raising my son with my wife Julie. I looked forward to raising Nicholas and offering him many of the activities that I had enjoyed as a child.

The most difficult and heart wrenching aspect of being sick for so long is my inability to fully be there for Nicholas and Julie. It breaks my heart to watch him grow up without being more involved in providing the life he deserves. My wife Julie is working double-time to make up for my absence. I am indebted to her and only wish that I could provide a better life for them both.

Being as sick as I am is unbearable. It is the most difficult experience of my life. I pray every day that others would never have to experience what I am going through. It is brutal, as there is no relief from the suffering, except for the few hours when I’m sleeping.

Please help me realize my goal of recovering fully. I am very grateful for any support that is offered and will in turn help others when I’m well.

Current symptom list:

• I’m in pain from head to toe.
• I have high anxiety. I’m full of fear & frightened about the future.
• I can’t think clearly, and have very strange thoughts.
• My thoughts wander all over and I can’t focus.
• I’m constantly reliving bad memories and feel traumatized.
• I have a constant pressure in my head, a band-like tension around my head.
• I get migraines.
• My jaw has a lot of pain. It aches from one side to both sides.
• I can only eat soft foods.
• I’m overwhelmed with pain and too many problems.
• I feel exhausted, yet can’t relax.
• My mind won’t stop.
• Im lucky if I sleep a few hours a night, and when I do, it’s extremely shallow.
• This is such a nightmare. It’s more than I can bear. I want a life like my friends.