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Kelly's Story

I moved in September 2001 to a house that my landlord told me had a small patch of unharmful mold and to clean it with a spray bottle of ammonia and water. At that point, December 2001, I was very nauseous and thought it was from stress. I had many sick days form school and work. Heavy rains occurred and my bedroom wall swelled out into the room full of water and mold (about a half a foot out!). I pulled the bed out and black mold was stuck to it all along the side about 7 feet long. I let my landlord know and he said he was sorry and would fix it after the rains slowed and would tear out the wall completely in June 2002. He would not pay for damages, though, that is for me to deal with, sorry?!. He hired a man to look at it and we never heard back again. I asked in June of 2002 what he was going to do and he said he would clean it in summer 2002. I left for my parent’s house in Ventura and gave him 6 weeks to build a new wall with insulation (none previously there). He never did, his mother-in-law came to live with him and passed away and they let that issue go. I asked him why it had grown; he agreed that it was all over my room on all three walls. I asked him “do you think that is why I am tired all the time”, “no it is not very much mold, can’t you tell?” he said. Yes. I said it has ruined all my bedding! Toxic mold infection grew through my whole body and mind as a result of my house, which I rented from Chico, CA. A water main busted under it somewhere around June 2002-after it already had deadly levels occurring inside of the house (It may have been caused from them examining the wall, most likely, I believe) because it was questioned at the time if the leaking water was causing mold damage by the construction worker evaluation, right in front of me. After that my yard was always flooded every time you watered. Next he took the entire tree out (a beautiful alive 35ft. Maple tree-very sad-nothing wrong with it at all, he was trying to avoid tearing the house down and thought this would please us?)  My landlord told me his water bill was enormous for the last six months in January of 2003, “wow was it just from that water leak “he said. I asked to see the bill; no he would take care of it he assured me. He would not discuss it again, each time I brought up medical issues and how to help; he just asked when I was moving out. That would be almost the exact time the examination of the wall occurred again. I gave notice that I may have to give notice and he was very informed about this, and was even called in by the neighbor for her mold around their newborn baby boy-he did nothing. His son (the landlord’s) asked him to leave the property immediately and not to discuss it with us. We have never heard back again, the child is still on the property even though they know how sick I am! We were concerned about the child because someone else in the area had a four month old put on a respirator at the hospital and was very sick from the same type of water contamination and the mold that it produced. It contaminated my health greatly from mold growth throughout the walls and floor. My landlord at the time (I had to leave when we figured out after months of doctor appointments from chemical migraines and fatigue, that I was chronic with mold illness) was supposed to fix the toxic growth and did not, without any remorse. I asked again to re-evaluate and clean up and he did not. I gave notice because I was so sick. He apologized for the mold and felt no responsibility for medical bills or ongoing care (there are no medicines for this, lots of combined treatments are required, and lots of money-more than most people who rent could ever afford). I asked him not to continue renting to anyone until he reconstructed the entire face of the house in the front (too much to clean, had to be torn down). He agreed, he is a Chaplin of the Christian church and I trusted him, and I let him know about the un-inhabitability law Jan 1, 2004 and that we would not red-tag his property if he slowly helped the situation. He lied and immediately rented the house out for less money and made the new tenants sign an agreement to live with the mold, then he told me personally what he did and harassed me for the moldy carpet, he is lost at sea. The mold level is deadly, I have a lot of health issues I am dealing with and had to drop to courses in graduate school and postpone school until my memory, immune system and nerves get better. I have a doctor note with my information and have spoken to a lawyer in Chico. He advised to go further with my case and get medical help immediately. I would if it were so simple; this issue is hard, very hard to deal with, with a patient spirit. I have most all of the symptoms relating to toxic mold infection. Inability to focus and memory lapses. Chronic sleep disruption and fatigue. A chronic female infection from the toxins, very painful, a blocked fallopian tube! I lost my job as a result. Chemical migraines from the toxins that do not seem to be going away are the worse part, even though I am moved at this point. I have been out of the house for 5 weeks and have really bad days when it rains and is moist out, that is when you feel flu-like nausea and severe body aches. If it is sunny, I am very light sensitive and have shortness of breath and bowel problems daily. The injuries are not getting better it seems. I have done a lot of research and it could occur for as many as two years or irrevocable memory loss and immune system compromisation permanently. It is very scary. My doctor had been working with me for physical, emotional and vision issues and I figured it out under her care in jan-feb 5, 2003. I passed out in my inner session course in January of 2003 and thought I had pneumonia (they think I did and beat it- I am strong minded usually); well that is what occurs at the deadly level of toxic intake, it had been months of it in my bedroom and living room. My body shut down. It took the next few weeks, and I took paxil-12.5 milligrams for balance and sleep anxiety to stay in school. It did even more damage to my moods, and female hormones- nothing works, not in my income range. I have had to detoxify from almost all regular foods, and have 7 different herbal detoxify tinctures I am on because the medicine is also affecting me chemically. I am hypersensitive to begin with and it has drained my immune system. We are trying anything that helps with it, but I cannot exercise yet, too weak. And now in August and my head has sores, I cannot breath right and I am 33 years old, not very athletic anymore! Is this for life?!!  Listen to your body- It knows the truth even though everyone around you will tell you are okay, you are not…pay attention or it will get unmanageable or even deadly. Peace, Kelly

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