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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020
Vol. 7 Edition 24
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Some stories all but write themselves, while others are hard to type. This one, however, is a lot of both. This is about Chatham’s Ryan Goulet and his family. Ryan – “Gouch” to his friends – has an aggressive form of ALS. What the family is dealing with is truly tragic. How the community has responded, however, is incredible. Ryan, familiar to many in the athletic circles of Chatham-Kent as a long-
Bruce Corcoran time Chatham Maroon Oldtimer, went from having weakness in his left arm in March to now having to use a scooter to get around, and having trouble with his speech. ALS, you see, ravages
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Sarah Schofield/The Chatham Voice
HandyBros Mitch White, left, and family friend Matt Herder, right, welcome Ryan and Margaret Goulet back to their home after HandyBros renovated parts of the main floor at no cost to help Ryan, who has ALS, have an easier time in his own home.
the body, while leaving the mind intact, trapped inside. The man his wife once called “Superman” was suddenly in need of assistance. “He went from playing hockey five times a week skating on the ice to having a hard time just climbing the stairs and walking,” his wife, Margaret, said. First, one friend stepped up to start a GoFundMe page. Then another
asked around to see if he could find a deal on a home renovation project to convert the family’s main-floor living room into a bedroom, and add a bathroom. This is Chatham-Kent. This community responds to need in a big way. In no time, Quentin Sprik’s GoFundMe effort on the Goulets’ behalf topped $35,000 and counting. As for Matt Herder’s effort to seek out some-
one to do the renovations at a discount, how does 100-per-cent discount sound? Herder said he went to his “encyclopedia of fundraising,” Greg Hetherington, for advice. The owner of CKXS connected him with Blenheim-based HandyBros Climate Care, a company whose owners, Mitch and Nic White are giving back to the community through their HandyBros Heroes effort. The concept, which start-
In Stock, g n ri o lo F e r o M u’ll Love. More Prices Yo More Laminate, More Luxury Vinyl, More Hardwood, More For The Entire Home.
ed in September, sees the company accept nominations for someone who is in need of assistance, and HandyBros sees what they can do. Mitch said as soon as he was informed of what the Goulet family was going through, he wanted to help. “We met up with Matt, and once I heard his story from a best friend’s perspective, I felt I had to do something,” he said.
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