Mount Albert Lyme disease survivor wins gold at BMX event in China - 21-11-2017
- 7 years ago
Fourteen-year-old Mount Albert native Dorian Giordano won gold in Junior BMX Freestyle at the FISE World Series Chendgu earlier this month in China.
You know that massive lime green pro BMX bike ramp in the backyard across from Mount Albert Public School? It turns out the teenager that lives there is pretty good. World-Class even.
Dorian Giordano has been riding BMX since he was eight-years old. Earlier this month, the 14-year-old went to compete in Chengdu, China at the FISE World Series and won a gold medal in the Junior BMX Freestyle category for Canada.
The win was the result of years of training while he battled with Lyme disease. "It was pretty crazy. There were so many people there," he said. "I felt like I did really well and I deserved to win."
Dorian was especially excited to spend some time on the trip with BMX legend Daniel Dhers. "That was cool," he said.
“The win was the culmination of everything,” Dorian’s mother, Stephanie Giordano said.
When Dorian was four years old his parents noticed something wasn’t quite right with their son. What followed was a litany of misdiagnoses’ over an eight-year span, including ADHD, autism, OCD, Tourette's syndrome and infection-induced ALS.
When Dorian was eight years old, a doctor in Connecticut diagnosed him with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). The doctor suggested that Dorian start riding because he was beginning to lose sensation in his legs.
But as Dorian’s symptoms didn’t improve the family kept seeking answers and finally found out what was hampering him. Dorian discovered he had Lyme disease when he was 11 years old.
“There’s nothing in Canada for Lyme disease,” Dorian’s mother Stephanie Giordano said.
Dorian put it more bluntly: “There’s more stuff here to treat your dog and cats (for Lyme Disease) than me.”
Hunched over his bike with a megawatt smile and helmet accessorized with devil horns, the pint-sized teenager flies around the various drops and tables on the ramp as if he has a GPS navigating his route. This is his sanctuary.
That infectious personality was noticed in China were numerous people asked Dorian for photos with them or their baby.
As a first place prize, Dorian took home a new bike that he had to stuff into his bike bag along with his other bike on the flight home.
"We had to the put the wheels in our luggage," he said.
Now a Grade 9 student at Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham with his Lyme disease in remission, Giordano does a lot of his training at Joyride 150 in Markham four to five days a week.
With a gold under his belt, Giordano now has his eyes set on the Youth Olympics.
Originally from Newmarket, Stephanie and her husband Mike Giordano bought the property on Mount Albert Road for the express purpose of building the BMX ramp that went up in 2014.
They painted it lime green as a memento for Dorian’s battle with his disease. Now Stephanie says the family is considering moving to a bigger property in the area to build an even bigger ramp. Their son travels across the world, from North Carolina and New Jersey to Detroit to France to China to compete in BMX events. https://www.yorkregion.com/community-story/7936638-mount-albert-lyme-disease-survivor-wins-gold-at-bmx-event-in-china/
Video above is not from the event in China where he won his Goldmedal, but just from training and fooling around filmed in the beginning of 2017.
You know that massive lime green pro BMX bike ramp in the backyard across from Mount Albert Public School? It turns out the teenager that lives there is pretty good. World-Class even.
Dorian Giordano has been riding BMX since he was eight-years old. Earlier this month, the 14-year-old went to compete in Chengdu, China at the FISE World Series and won a gold medal in the Junior BMX Freestyle category for Canada.
The win was the result of years of training while he battled with Lyme disease. "It was pretty crazy. There were so many people there," he said. "I felt like I did really well and I deserved to win."
Dorian was especially excited to spend some time on the trip with BMX legend Daniel Dhers. "That was cool," he said.
“The win was the culmination of everything,” Dorian’s mother, Stephanie Giordano said.
When Dorian was four years old his parents noticed something wasn’t quite right with their son. What followed was a litany of misdiagnoses’ over an eight-year span, including ADHD, autism, OCD, Tourette's syndrome and infection-induced ALS.
When Dorian was eight years old, a doctor in Connecticut diagnosed him with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). The doctor suggested that Dorian start riding because he was beginning to lose sensation in his legs.
But as Dorian’s symptoms didn’t improve the family kept seeking answers and finally found out what was hampering him. Dorian discovered he had Lyme disease when he was 11 years old.
“There’s nothing in Canada for Lyme disease,” Dorian’s mother Stephanie Giordano said.
Dorian put it more bluntly: “There’s more stuff here to treat your dog and cats (for Lyme Disease) than me.”
Hunched over his bike with a megawatt smile and helmet accessorized with devil horns, the pint-sized teenager flies around the various drops and tables on the ramp as if he has a GPS navigating his route. This is his sanctuary.
That infectious personality was noticed in China were numerous people asked Dorian for photos with them or their baby.
As a first place prize, Dorian took home a new bike that he had to stuff into his bike bag along with his other bike on the flight home.
"We had to the put the wheels in our luggage," he said.
Now a Grade 9 student at Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham with his Lyme disease in remission, Giordano does a lot of his training at Joyride 150 in Markham four to five days a week.
With a gold under his belt, Giordano now has his eyes set on the Youth Olympics.
Originally from Newmarket, Stephanie and her husband Mike Giordano bought the property on Mount Albert Road for the express purpose of building the BMX ramp that went up in 2014.
They painted it lime green as a memento for Dorian’s battle with his disease. Now Stephanie says the family is considering moving to a bigger property in the area to build an even bigger ramp. Their son travels across the world, from North Carolina and New Jersey to Detroit to France to China to compete in BMX events. https://www.yorkregion.com/community-story/7936638-mount-albert-lyme-disease-survivor-wins-gold-at-bmx-event-in-china/
Video above is not from the event in China where he won his Goldmedal, but just from training and fooling around filmed in the beginning of 2017.