A Life to Be Saved: Tad Uzzle

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE LATEST UPDATES REGARDING TAD'S HEALTH

Silent Toxic Killer : Mold

For decades, Tad Uzzle has suffered from an unknown chronic illness.  After hundreds of doctor visits and accompanying multiple diagnoses including Sepsis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Polymyositis, his illness was always a mystery.  Throughout his life, Tad suffered from severe chronic pain, chest pain, brain fog, and visual problems without knowing why. Recent blood panels revealed markers showing an exponentially high level of mold in his body.

This fundraising effort is to give Tad the appropriate life-saving treatment because his medical insurance does not cover the treatments he needs.  Our efforts to raise $125, 000 will cover the $80,000 admission fee to the Sponaugle Wellness Institute where he can be successfully treated and to remove toxic mold in the home he shares with his wife Paula. 

In exchange for your contributions, Tad's father - legendary photographer Burk Uzzle - is offering special edition prints of Woodstock and Honor King (taken at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral). Please see details below. 

 Twenty-five percent of the human population has a variation of HLA-DR genotype making their immunity related genes chronically activated.  This means that individuals with these genes become acutely and chronically more susceptible to suffering from mold and biotoxin related illnesses.  This condition is referred to as Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS).  Tad is one of the 25% of the population with this variation of the HLA-DR gene.

There are only a few physicians studying and developing treatments for mold and biotoxin illness.  Furthermore, most clinics and medical professionals do not even ask about this marker or the environmental conditions that can influence a correct diagnosis.

When we think about mold, we think about decay, danger, lawsuits, and environmental ruin.  Chronic mold sickness is often a direct consequence.  When coupled with the predisposition of HLA-DR genotype, the body is crippled. For Tad, a once vibrant, bold, fearless man is afraid to be home alone, drive his own car, and can barely walk.  Mold and other environmental toxins disseminate throughout the body causing damage to the heart, lungs, nervous systems, and brain while the individual is living in chronic pain.

Tad needs our assistance to be admitted to the the Spounagle Wellness Institute an inpatient treatment center located in Florida. With an emphasis on Environmental Medicine, Dr. Sponaugle & his team specialize in treating Brain and Neurological disorders derived from severe neurotoxicity.  Most patients require simultaneous treatment for multiple issues including Mold Toxicity, Industrial Toxicity, Gut Toxicity, Neurological Lyme disease, and five additional stealth infections that attack the brain and neurological system.


Who is Tad Uzzle?

Tad is a husband and stepfather to four children. He is a retired police officer with over 25 years of service. He was named Cop of the Year in 1994 and 2013; once for exceptional service and once for his life saving actions.

Tad has a long history in motorsports and adventure sports, not only as a national competitor but also as a team owner. His family-owned team has competed in professional motorcycle racing and many disciplines of auto racing. Tad has mentored and coached dozens of young race car drivers and mechanics, several of whom now compete and make a living at the highest level of SportsCar and IndyCar Racing.

Tad is hopeful to one day return to professional level rally car competition. For now, he is in the race of his life to survive biotoxin mold illness.

 Tad saved Maya Leggat’s life when she was pushed in front of an oncoming train in NYC…. 
New York Post 
ABC 7 NY 
 

Who is Burk Uzzle?

www.burkuzzle.com 

Burk is Tad Uzzle’s father.  He was the youngest contract photographer ever hired by Life Magazine, and a 15 year member of Magnum Photos, serving as its President for two years.  His artwork in the collections of museums across the world and he enjoys a prestigious reputation as an extraordinary photographer.

He has created a "Tad Edition" of two well known photographs in 11x17 prints : Woodstock and Honor King.  A contribution of $3,000.00 will entitle a patron to their choice of one of these pictures.  A contribution of $10,000.00 entitles a patron to a two-day master workshop in his studio in Wilson NC Studio and a portrait of themselves. Travel, shipping, and overnight accommodations are the responsibility of the donor.




 
Please feel free to contact [email redacted] with any questions. 

Information about Mold, HLA-DR & CIRS

Surviving Mold 

International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness 

Biotoxin Journey

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UPDATES

Alongside his battle with mold illness, Tad also suffered from a heart attack on November 11, 2018. 


November 13, 2018:

Unfortunately, on Sunday night Tad suffered a heart attack. His doctor had told us that this could be a possibility with his current health status and that we needed to monitor any chest pain & symptoms closely. He got to the hospital just in time and had emergency surgery to place a stent. The operating surgeon was a bit confused, as his heart is extremely healthy with no other signs of stress or failure. It has been noted that mold & biotoxins can affect our most vital organs and Tad is a prime example of this. Luckily, he is feeling better and is on his way home. We want to thank everyone for their donations, thoughts and prayers. Please keep sharing our go fund me as time is of the essence. - The Uzzle Family

December 31, 2018: 

We apologize for the lack of updates recently. As for most, this time of year is meant for family & friends and we are so grateful to have many wonderful people in our lives.

We've enjoyed our 2018 Holiday season and we hope you did as well. Tad continues to recover from the heart attack he suffered just before Thanksgiving. We are so grateful to the doctors at the hospital the evening he was admitted, as many people do not survive the class of heart attack that he experienced. During surgery to place a stent, the doctors were perplexed as they did not find extensive plaque or decay. They remain confused as to how a healthy appearing heart sustained such severe damage.

Although they cannot determine the exact cause, they are questioning if mold could be the culprit. Tad is now attending cardiac rehabilitation three times per week, hopeful that his heart function will improve. The last echocardiogram showed his heart is pumping at approximately 50% of a normal ejection fraction. He will undergo more testing in February to examine the heart and determine the next step in his cardiac recovery.

Heart rehabilitation has been our primary focus and Tad’s mold remediation journey has been delayed. Due to potential life-threatening interactions, Tad has ceased taking his prescribed medicine for mold illness. He is also unable to take medications to decrease inflammation throughout his body. The inability to treat mold and inflammation has left Tad with intermittent and unrelenting pain and sleepless nights. He is exhausted, but still trying to be his typical witty, funny, and determined self.

We are very hopeful that the delay is coming to an end and that Tad will re-enter his mold recovery journey this week. He will be visiting with a Doctor in Albany, NY who specializes in environmental disorders including mold & biotoxin illness. They will review his blood panels and examine possible treatment plans to be performed locally. Due to doctors’ orders to limit travel by ground & air, our plans to get Tad to the Sponaugle Wellness Institute are currently postponed; however, this does remain our main goal for 2019.

We are so grateful for each donation that we have received and continue to receive. The funds raised have helped us to pay off medical bills and household mold remediation bills that have accrued throughout the past several months. We could not have done this without your love and support. Please continue to help us spread our message as we continue to help Tad regain his active, happy and adventurous lifestyle!

With Love, Tad & The Uzzle/Witson Families

Update 3/11/2019: 

It’s been close to four months since Tad’s heart attack and the good news is that his heart is getting stronger. During the last update we talked about his ejection fraction (EF) being at 35%. His last echocardiogram on 2/26/19 showed that his EF has improved to 55%! But where there is good comes bad, too.

The road to recovery has not been easy. Come to find out, several of the medications Tad was prescribed post heart attack are derivatives of mold. What does this mean? Due to mold being one of the main ingredients in the drug, Tad experienced horrible side effects including terrible inflammation, night pain and widespread malaise.

Tad has been re-admitted to the hospital two times since his heart attack. Once in November and the second being February 18, 2019. On the morning of February 17, Tad experienced a sudden onset of nausea and vomiting in conjunction with severe and non-relenting chest discomfort.  With a call to 911, Tad was rushed to the emergency room, and a procedure called a cardiac catherization followed.  Doctors continue to be baffled as Tad’s heart is extremely healthy. His blood vessels have great blood flow, and the stent that they placed is functioning, perfectly. So, where is all of this coming from?

The doctors working with Tad post heart attack have taken him off several medications hoping to help decrease adverse effects. Unfortunately, even after 1 month off said medication, Tad’s inflammatory markers are higher then they have been in fifteen years.  His hands and fingers swell to the point where they are immobile and unusable. They have trialed a short course of Prednisone with minimal response. At this point, it is a game of trial and error.

On top of his inflammation and heart attack recovery, Tad has recently found out that his teeth are decaying at an alarming rate. Why? Mold toxicity and several of his heart medications are known to have adverse effects on dental hygiene and dental health. What happens next? Tad’s dental journey is still a work in progress, and we will see where the next few weeks lead.

As the bills continue to come in, we are so very thankful for all donations. Let’s keep them coming!