PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Matt German is battling esophageal cancer, and his prized motorcycle is his last resort to pay hefty medical bills.
“Mentally I wanted to die, because I feel dead inside,” German said, describing the uphill battle of the past four years since his diagnosis in 2014.
After selling the majority of his stuff, like his house up north, German is forced to sell his 2006 Bourget Dragon Rigid Chopper with the help of his daughter-in-law.
“It’s detrimental to sell this bike. It’s really the last straw that breaks the camel’s back to bring it to the end of a very painful road,” said Kaylee Blackwell, German’s daughter-in-law.
Blackwell tells Fox 4 the bike is worth $70,000, but was a tough sell even after dropping the price to around $24,000. She says most of the people around her can’t afford the high price, so instead she raffles it off. Each raffle ticket sells for $25 each.
“That’s and ooh ahh thing. and no one can really afford it, so the raffle gives a lot more people the chance to afford it.”
But even if the bike sells, the emotional toll of letting go of the past is a daily battle for the German.
“I’m in the fourth quarter, I know that,” he said. “I keep fighting because I love my children, but I know the end is near.”
If you want to donate or buy a raffle ticket, you can visit Facebook page of the Dragon Chopper raffle in Bourget. Blackwell says 20 tickets have sold so far and the deadline is May 1.