Mystery almost killed David Chant
Extremely rare Whipple’s Disease is known to affect farmers and landscapers

By Sheena Bolton

CHANTRY — With a stroke of luck Paul Chant discovered a televised documentary that saved his brother’s life. After being sick for three years, dairy farmer David Chant, 56, was diagnosed with Whipple’s Disease, a rare illness that affects farmers and landscapers. There are only 800 known cases worldwide since 1980. After seven biopsies in January, physicians found the Whipple’s bacterium. On January 24, Chant checked in to Kingston General Hospital for 12 days. "In two days of treatment I felt better than I had in two months," he said. "There was a four-day wait because they had to culture the bacteria to see what antibiotics would work best."  Chant is still taking antibiotics today.  "When my dad was diagnosed with Whipple’s Disease it was kind of a relief," said Ashley Chant, David’s daughter. "It’s highly treatable." David and Paul run Sugar Maple Farms in Chantry, Ontario, south of Smiths Falls. They milk 60 cows, crop 400 acres and have a maple sugar bush of 4,600 taps. "I think if the doctors hadn’t found it when they did, he wouldn’t have had more then two weeks left," said David’s sister Carol. Whipple’s Disease is a rare non-contagious bacterial infection that starts in the small intestine and spreads through the body, said Dr. John Matthews, a cancer specialist at Kingston General. It affects white males between 30 and 60 years of age and is prevalent in farmers and landscapers. "The bacterium is found in soil, feces and sewage," he said. "It’s transported to the body when someone is working with soil and puts their hands near their mouth." In his 17 years in Kingston, Dr. Matthews has never seen another Whipple’s case. Chant said he was told the only other case in Kingston was in 1974.  Chant was sick for three years and the doctors didn’t know why. They thought it was lymphoma cancer, or scurvy. A bone marrow test ruled out lymphoma. "It was frustrating to have a panel of experts examining my dad and still coming up with no answers," said Ashley. "We went through so many possibilities, the worst being cancer, so you find yourself constantly preparing for the unknown." Three years ago Chant noticed his blood count was down and he started to get severe arthritis and gout in his legs and feet. "Some mornings I would be fine and then my legs would start to hurt and by five, I couldn’t walk," he said. "I would have to be picked up from the barn and taken (next door,) home."  Two years ago he became short of breath and last year his eyes and mouth were constantly dry. David’s teeth started to deteriorate and all have to be replaced. "Last year I had to lower my workload. I only did low maintenance work like driving the tractor and light chores. That’s all I could do. I didn’t even hook the trailers to the tractor; my nephew Brandan shadowed me." Chant was losing weight, having diarrhea and was chronically tired. In the last year his weight dropped from 200 to 145 lbs. He lost 20 lbs. in December. When he slept he hallucinated. "No matter what I was eating I couldn’t keep on weight and I was losing about five pounds a week," he said. "I remember one night I went to bed at 7 p.m. because that’s all I wanted to do and by 8:30 p.m. I was awake. I wouldn’t go back to my bedroom because I was scared. If you ask me now what I was scared of, I can’t remember. I just know I was terrified to go into my room." Chant might not have been diagnosed if Paul hadn’t seen a Discovery channel documentary on this mystery disease. "Paul said I had eight of the 10 symptoms and from his point of view it was Whipple’s for sure," said David. "On January 4, 2007, I asked Dr. Matthews if he’d ever heard of Whipple’s Disease. He hadn’t, but researched it while I was there." Since treatment, David gained 15 lbs. and as of March 16 has started to do light farm work. "I realize now that I could have lost my father and the thing that worries me most is that I buried myself in my schoolwork and may not have utilized those last few moments," Ashley said.