Hello, I hope you’re doing well! I’m Jonathan Yeung but all my friends call me Bear. I’m trying to help my friend Mac Marcoux realize his dream of building a home for himself with his own hands with the help of his brother BJ Marcoux before he faces darkness and goes completely blind. It’s super important for Mac to build his house soon so that he can get familiar with it while he has some sight left. Mac and BJ aim to start building it this summer on their family’s land at Haviland Bay near Lake Superior just north of Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario.

When Mac was just eight years old, Stargardt's disease turned his world upside down. This is an irreversible form of macular degeneration which will eventually steal his entire vision. But instead of letting it crush him, Mac bravely starred it down and used his energy to become a ski race. He became a World Champion. Please watch this incredible documentary called Blind Faith when Mac became the first visually impaired athlete to conquer extreme freeski lines on Whistler. Dr Cindy Wagner explains Stargardt’s disease right at the 13 minute mark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuEfpIcNDFA

Mac is my Hero and an inspiration to so many because he proves to everyone that anything is possible. Despite having only six percent of his sight left which is now only on his periphery, he refuses to back down. My friend Mac has courageously shown Canada and the world that your circumstances no matter how difficult don't dictate your destiny. Instead it's the actions you take and your determination to never abandon your dreams!

Mac retired from ski racing as a five time World Champion and one of Canada's greatest Paralympic athletes ever. At the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, he won gold and clinched two bronze medals with Robin Femy as his guide. Mac added another gold and bronze with Jack Leitch at PyeongChang 2018. At the Beijing Olympics in 2022 he won silver alongside Tristan Rodgers (who was my coach) before being forced to withdraw due to injury. In three World Championships, Mac earned five gold and three silver medals. This is Mac’s retirement video by Team Canada:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clG6k8x1GL0&t=1s

In addition to being an incredible athlete, please know that my friend Mac is a truly incredible person, he is genuinely kind and offers powerful proof that anything is possible! His message is extremely important to all the kids across Canada who bravely battle illnesses, disabilities and injuries, Mac shows them that they can have awesome and super fulfilling lives.

In his retirement video by Team Canada, Mac spoke about being grateful to everyone, I think we should also be grateful to Mac. So I’m taking action to help Mac realize his dream and I would be tremendously grateful if you can join this mission to help Mac as strong as he is, he needs our collective strength to turn his dream into a reality. I believe we can all contribute together to making a meaningful difference in Mac’s life.

Mac’s home will serve as his foundation for a brighter future even in the midst of the darkness. Mac dedicated his entire life while he had some vision left to making Canada proud. As Canadians, we can see how he championed our country. We are all Team Canada so thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and any support you can provide. Mac and BJ aim to start building this summer so I’m extremely grateful for whatever help you can give.

Your friend,

Jonathan “Bear” Yeung