Dan Marquis asked for $30,000 to pay for the treatment of complications allegedly arising from the use of a contaminated injectable steroid product.
Daniel Marquis, a YouTube personality better known as “Dan the Bodybuilder in Thailand”, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds reportedly intended to pay for the medical costs associated with the treatment of a severe infection in his leg. Marquis claimed the infection was the result of the use of contaminated injectable anabolic steroids.
Marquis moved to Thailand in December 2015. He documented his adventures as a “bodybuilder in Thailand” on YouTube. This year, Marquis has also traveled to the Philippines and, most recently, Columbia. His medical and financial problems apparently began in Columbia
“I am currently in the hospital alone in Colombia,” Marquis said. “I don’t have health insurance and 3 days ago I had surgery to remove the necrotic flesh that is spreading inside of my leg. The surgery was a failure and also simultaneously bankrupted me. The incision in my leg has burst open and There is now new necrotic dying flesh growing in my leg.”
Marquis claimed that he has life-threatening “necrotic dying flesh growing inside my leg” as a result of a “shot of infected gear”. Marquis did not publicly identify the manufacturer of the steroid product in question.
The condition is often inaccurately described as “flesh-eating bacteria”. But in reality, the medical condition known as “necrotising fascitis”. The surrounding tissues are damaged as the result of toxins dispersed throughout the affected area.
Marquis requested $30,000 to pay for two surgeries on his GoFundMe page. He posted several extremely graphic pictures that he claimed were taken of his leg following the first surgery. The pictures displayed necrotic flesh oozing out of the wound after a very long incision reportedly burst open.
Marquis used the pictures along with an emotional video plea to successfully raise $18,607 in a matter of days before abruptly suspending donations. Marquis stopped accepting donations after surgeons performed a second operation at the Pablo Tobón Uribe Hospital in Medellín. The surgeons were able to save his leg.
Dan the Bodybuilder accused of scamming his YouTube subscribers.
Most of Marquis’ YouTube followers have accepted his story at face value. The same holds true for the mainstream media which always loves a good story to demonize anabolic steroids. But several people on YouTube and on various internet forums have questioned Marquis’ story.
Many have questioned the authenticity of the graphic pictures used by Marquis to promote his story. They pointed out that there was nothing in the pictures that could link the wound to Marquis. And given that Marquis was using his mobile phone to capture video from the hospital, he could have easily filmed his leg to silence any doubters. But he didn’t.
Others have pointed out that several of his supposed YouTube friends have not convincingly vouched for Marquis during his time of distress. Maybe they don’t believe him or are suspicious. They have distanced themselves somewhat from Marquis by their silence and/or by qualifying their support of Marquis.
Marquis spent considerable time in Thailand and the Philippines with other YouTube fitness celebrities such as Enhanced Athlete’s Anthony “Dr. Tony Huge” Hughes and Enhanced Arsenal’s Josh Brooks.
Marquis spent a lot of time hanging out with Tony Huge in Thailand. Many of their exploits together were documented on Marquis’ YouTube channel. Tony Huge notified his social media followers of Marquis’ plight but qualified his support by saying the two haven’t been in touch for some time.
Marquis also spent time with Enhanced Arsenal’s Josh Brooks in both the Philippines and Colombia. Marquis uploaded several videos of their time together on YouTube. Brooks apparently lives in Colombia and was presumably the reason that Marquis decided to travel there. Marquis and Brooks trained and partied together in Colombia in the weeks prior to Marquis’ hospitalization. However, Marquis reported being “all alone” while in the Colombian hospital.
Some people have speculated that Marquis is faking the seriousness of the infection. Others have suggested the Marquis is in serious financial trouble from some nebulous dealing in Colombia and the abscess is merely a cover to raise money to pay off his debts.
Of course, all of this is internet speculation without any solid evidence. We can only hope that there is no fraud involved and Marquis experiences a full recovery.
This was a scam. I lived in colombia and emergency room visits are $15 USD.. Everything is 100x cheaper than the US . He never posted his medical bills. It was a scam. Yes he was infected but it wasnt $30,000 for surgery lol. Lost all respect for tony and dan.