BLADES OF GLORY: LOUIS CHAIX
By Nick Smith, www.nicksmithfilms.com
Empowering messages are everywhere. Hang in there. Keep moving forward. Maybe they come with an iconic image of a desert road or packaged in a motivational meme. They’re great for solidifying a concept into a short sentence or adding extra oomph to corporate training.
After a while, those words seem empty. Where are you hanging? What are you moving toward? Since actions speak louder than even the most well-meant words, it takes a man like Louis Chaix to give them real meaning.
Louis is only 24 but he is the embodiment of, ‘pushing harder day after day.’ When he was six, he was diagnosed with Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). This condition causes peeling and blistering of the skin, leaving raw areas prone to infection. It’s like having your skin burned from the inside out – horrible for anyone to suffer and sometimes life-threatening for a young child. Despite a doctor saying he would not survive, hockey helped give Louis a promise to keep.
Encouraged by his father, the young Louis swore he would play hockey in the United States if he survived. After making a full recovery, he was able to train for his dream and reach a high enough level that he now plays for Missouri State’s Ice Bears.
Beyond his own force of will, raising funds and awareness for TEN, is a great motivator for him as he embarks on a new challenge – rollerblading across America.
At Missouri State, former Ice Bear winger Alex Rubin gave Louis a spare set of rollerblades. Louis fell in love with blading. He decided that a cross-country journey would be a great way to bring attention to TEN, ‘one stride at a time.’
He did not know that this summer would be one of the hottest on record, and every stretch of the journey would be arduous. He left Venice Beach, California on June 1st. At time of writing, he’s in Seiling, Oklahoma. He’s rollerbladed along highways, sidewalks and heat-cracked county roads. On smooth rides he can get up to 49 mph; on bad roads he has to watch every crack. He’s faced rain, wind and a loose tire that almost hit him in the face. He’s been chased by a donkey, a bull and a pack of coyotes. He avoided a rattlesnake by jumping over it. He’s taken it all in his singular stride.
Louis’ end goal – apart from helping others enduring TEN – is to reach Times Square in New York, 3,000 miles from his starting line. He is exhausted, his feet are blistered, he’s fallen a couple of times but he maintains his enthusiastic attitude. ‘Giving hope to people and raising awareness really drives me,’ says Louis in his French accent, which is smooth as freshly laid pavement. ‘Everyone I meet along the way has an impact; they drive me forward. I’ve found that nothing lasts forever whether it’s good or bad, you have to enjoy the moment. I’ve had to deal with some bad roads but I go on and ten minutes later, everything clears up out of nowhere, the roads are better and I’m on a high again.’
I joined Louis in Amarillo, Texas on June 22nd, assisting with a documentary being made by Mia Film Productions about Louis, his fundraising effort for TEN and its less severe but better-known Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS). The film’s working title is Louis Chaix: A Journey with Purpose.
‘Seeing this journey unfold, with all the surprises, has been almost like a dream,’ says Director of Photography Michael Hatfield. ‘It gives me faith in humanity. The generous people we’ve met along the way have really made this worthwhile.’
‘I’m growing every day,’ Louis adds, ‘because I realize what my body can accomplish. And seeing people believe in this journey really helps.’
As we make our way toward New York we don’t know what’s ahead of us. There will be intense heat, obstacles, and as many bad roads as good. Whether they’re positive, challenging or both, we always remember to enjoy and appreciate every moment.
To learn more about Louis’ journey, visit: https://give.vanderbilthealth.org/campaign/10forten/c359866