Chris Daw has always been up for a battle.
Now the longest-serving Canadian Paralympian, who won gold in wheelchair curling at the 2006 Games in Turin and also has represented the country in wheelchair basketball, sit volleyball, track and rugby, is up against a fight that has him down.
The 47-year-old, who has called Victoria home the last two years, says he will have to sell two of his most treasured prizes, his Paralympic ring and gold medal, just to help make ends meet.
鈥淚鈥檓 struggling with the breakdown of the marriage. I鈥檓 struggling with being able to find affordable housing because of the breakdown in the marriage,鈥� Daw said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 damn-near impossible to live, based on the salary that I make, and it鈥檚 exceptionally difficult to find work in the Greater Victoria area that pays what is required to live an affordable life.
鈥淚 used to be an executive director and a general manager. I鈥檝e turned businesses around from deficits to million-dollar profits. When I came here, my age, my education, my experience and 鈥� ultimately and unfortunately 鈥� my disability, have played a huge role in not being able to find the employment I need.鈥�
Daw, who retired from competition in 2007, is originally from Ontario. He has worked as the general manager of the Vancouver Curling Club.
鈥淚 helped transition the building from the curling facility in 2010, from Olympic mode to community mode, in what is now called the Hillcrest Centre,鈥� said Daw, who now works in security in the capital region.
Daw has a college diploma in law and security administration, a U.S. bachelor of business administration degree and numerous Microsoft certifications.
鈥淏ut at the end of the day, it鈥檚 the big four: my age, my experience 鈥� because I鈥檓 overqualified 鈥� and it鈥檚 my disability, and ultimately they lead to the fourth one being: Can you replace me? I run into it time and time again,鈥� he said.
鈥淎t this point in time, in order to survive, I鈥檓 having to probably give up and auction off two of the biggest things I鈥檝e ever owned in my life 鈥� and that鈥檚 my Olympic ring and my Olympic medal,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n two months that鈥檚 probably where I am at, in order to maintain my rent.鈥�
The ring would fetch interest just on the value of gold. The medal, not so much.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of a kind. There鈥檚 no other ring like this in the world and never will be, but somebody will buy it for gold weight and melt it down and, there, I have rent,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he Olympic medal, that鈥檚 another problem. That would go to a collector and it would not get the value that it鈥檚 worth, and then I would never get it back. But you have to do what you need to do in order to survive.鈥�
Daw鈥檚 lengthy relationship and eight-year marriage ended in a separation. There are three kids involved: 15- and 13-year-old stepchildren and a seven-year-old he had with his wife.
鈥淏ecause of a series of challenges in finding employment, et cetera, et cetera, unfortunately my relationship with my wife deteriorated,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can barely afford to support myself, much less three kids. I鈥檓 not here to make a million dollars. I鈥檓 not. But to be able to take your daughters or sons out for an ice cream cone would be nice. It鈥檚 incredibly difficult to do that here.鈥�
Daw said his employers have been fantastic, but it鈥檚 in an industry that doesn鈥檛 pay a lot of money.
鈥淲hen you sit there and you tally up the bills, you have child-support payments and this, that and the other thing. Rent for an even smaller bachelor apartment costs $1,000. It鈥檚 just not enough to live on.鈥�
Through the assistance of a friend, Daw will move June 1 to a new building.
鈥淏ut you have to do what you have to do,鈥� he said of having to sell his cherished pieces, which doesn鈥檛 sit well with George Karrys of The Curling News.
鈥淐hris is a curling pioneer who basically helped write the rule book of wheelchair curling,鈥� said Karrys, a silver medallist from the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. 鈥淵ears later, he was the only guy showing interest in keeping the web-stream coverage of the Canadian championships going, and he got no help or consideration at all.
鈥淭his run of bad luck he鈥檚 on is unbelievable. He probably didn鈥檛 tell you, he鈥檚 also battled cancer in the last year and beat it 鈥� again. He probably didn鈥檛 tell you he was all set to be hired for a provincial amateur sport position 鈥� his references had been called 鈥� and then the organization pulled the job off the market. Who does that?鈥� Karrys asked.
鈥淚鈥檝e known Chris Daw a long time and he deserves a helping hand. And right now, he needs it.鈥�
Daw, once considered the fastest wheelchair athlete in the world, has parachuted out of planes in his wheelchair. He is a silver and bronze medallist from the World Wheelchair Curling Championships and a former World Cup champion in the sport.
鈥淵ou name a paralympic sport and I鈥檝e played it. I鈥檓 one of about a dozen who represented sa国际传媒 in both the summer and winter Paralympic Games,鈥� he said.
Daw gets around in a wheelchair, but is not considered either a quadriplegic or paraplegic. He is the survivor of a rare condition known as fetal stroke.
鈥淚 had a stroke in uterus that has affected me from my knee to my foot 鈥� the muscles did not grow. From my knee to my hip, the muscle grew in various levels and the same with my left side, just like a stroke victim. I鈥檓 not a paraplegic and I鈥檓 not a quadriplegic, but in sport I qualify for both.鈥�
Now he just wants a respite.
鈥淚t鈥檚 paycheque to paycheque and I鈥檓 still in debt. Again, I鈥檓 not here to make a million dollars, but it would be nice to not have to figure out where I鈥檓 going to eat next week,鈥� said Daw, who has also worked as a motivational speaker and a curling commentator for Paralympic Sport TV. In 2014, he was a curling analyst for the Sochi Paralympic Games.
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