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Donations so far: $3,078.41 from
37 people. Updated: Oct. 29. Thank
you!
All money received through this appeal will be
applied directly to Danny's bill at Charite Hospital in Berlin.
Receipts will be posted as the bill is paid off.
If you wish to accompany your donation with a
message of support to Danny, please send it to dannykassapfund@gmail.com. |
Donate now using a credit card, or contact
dannykassapfund@gmail.com
for more details. (For other ways to donate, scroll to the
bottom of this page.)
Donate
Here
Danny Kassap, one of Canada’s finest distance runners,
very nearly died last month when he collapsed while running the
Berlin Marathon. Now he needs help from the running community to pay
for the life-saving medical care that he received while hospitalized
in Berlin.
If you follow distance running in Canada, you’ve probably heard
of Danny Kassap. A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, he
came to Canada as a teenager in 2001 for the Francophone Games. He
made a daring escape from the athletes' village, seeking refugee
status in Canada on the basis of political persecution.
Meanwhile, Danny found his way to Toronto, and began training
with the University of
Toronto Track Club. In 2004, he won the first marathon he ever
ran in a very impressive time of 2:14:50. For the next several
years, he continued to run very fast times on very high mileage,
while also working full-time and obtaining his high school
equivalency. Danny has never been on any form of social
assistance.
After numerous legal setbacks, Danny finally became a landed
immigrant in April of this year, and a Canadian citizen in August.
As a result, he was finally able to run a race outside of Canada. In
April, he traveled to England to run the London Marathon, one of the
world’s most prestigious and competitive road races. He finished
15th, just three places behind the reigning Olympic marathon
champion Stefano Baldini. In September, he traveled to Berlin to run
his first marathon as a Canadian citizen.
For the first several kilometers in Berlin, Danny appeared poised
to have another outstanding race. However, near the 5 km mark,
disaster struck when Danny suddenly collapsed. A good Samaritan who
happened to be in close proximity to him at the time began
administering CPR almost immediately, and a paramedic on a
motorcycle got to him within a minute. Danny received between 15-19
shocks from a defibrillator, and the paramedics worked on him for 45
minutes before his condition stabilized. He was placed in a
medically-induced coma for several days, and remained in a Berlin
hospital for over two weeks before he was able to return home to
Toronto.
The doctors determined that Danny suffered a “ventricular
fibrillation” (an uncoordinated contraction of the cardiac muscle)
brought on by myocarditis (an inflammation of the heart), which in
turn was caused by a cold virus. Danny will not be able to run for
at least the next three months, but doctors are cautiously
optimistic that he will make a full recovery.
Danny received outstanding medical care while in Berlin, but it
has left him with a crippling debt. Even with OHIP covering a
portion of Danny’s medical bills, he still owes $18,000 to the
hospital which cared for him, and which discharged him on the
undertaking that the amount owing will be paid in a timely
manner.
Danny presently works full-time as an assistant manager at the
Running Room. Eighteen thousand dollars is a prohibitively large
amount for him to have to repay quickly. Danny has been unable to
contact his family since coming to Canada, and even if he could,
they would be unable to provide him with any financial assistance.
However, we are hopeful that Danny’s many friends and well-wishers
within the running community will be able to provide him with some
measure of support.
Danny’s primary motivation for running the Berlin Marathon was to
secure a spot on his first Canadian national team so that he could
proudly represent Canada at next summer’s World Championships. Danny
has made a tremendous contribution to the Canadian running community
since arriving here more than seven years ago, and now is our chance
to return the favour.
Should you wish to make a donation to help cover the cost of
Danny’s medical expenses, here are three methods by which you can do
so:
1. Click on the following link to make a secure online donation
to a bank account set up on Danny’s behalf:
2. Visit any branch of the Royal Bank of Canada and ask to make a
donation to account number [COMING SOON], which is also registered
in Danny’s name.
3. Write a cheque payable to Danny Kassap and give it to any
member of the University of
Toronto Track Club, or mail it to him, care of Ross Ristuccia,
at the following address:
Danny Kassap, c/o Ross Ristuccia
87 Coalport Dr.
Toronto,
ON
M1N 4B5
If you know anyone else who might be willing to support our
efforts to help repay Danny’s medical expenses, please forward a
link to this webpage to them.
Thanks very much for your consideration.
This page has been set up by members of the
University of Toronto Track
Club. For further information, please contact dannykassapfund@gmail.com,
or contact University of Toronto track and cross-country coach Ross
Ristuccia at mristuccia (at) hotmail (dot)
com.
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