Ashley & Tara: A Toxic Disaster
Donation protected
Hello everyone! My name is Erika Flanagan and I am starting a gofundme campaign for my sweet friends, Ashley Canfield and Tara Lance. These two women are wonderful people who would give the shirts off of their back for another in need. Right now they are going through a time in their lives in which they are literally hanging day by day and trying to survive without drowning.
In February, Ashley was admitted to the hospital with complaints of severe stomach pain and vomiting. Little did we know that an emergency gallbladder surgery was in the plans. She was hospitalized for two days post-op and then returned two days after being home. Ashley was then readmitted for five days due to an acute episode of an already diagnosed pancreatitis. With both of these illnesses, she not only had to miss work due to the hospitalizations but was also advised to be on bed rest and instructed not to return to work for one month.
Shortly before Ashley was released to go back to work, she and Tara were in the process of moving into their new apartment. From the time the lease was signed and still today, this move would be detrimental to their physical and mental health as individuals and as a couple. Upon receiving the keys and during the initial walk through, they would find themselves less than satisfied with the condition of their new apartment.
They have had ongoing multiple issues with their apartment and the apartment complex since March 28th, 2016. There were things that were observed during the walk through that finally got resolved seven days after the work orders were put in. However, there are still many issues that remain unresolved. When it came time to move, the painting had still not been completed but they had no other option but to move. Not only did they not have the available time off of work to wait and move but, the movers had already been scheduled.
May 4th, 2016 there was what appeared to be mold found all throughout the apartment. Everything seemed to have a wet touch to it, so they began searching around their apartment. Different types of mold were found on many of their belongings. There are pieces of furniture that are being eaten and destroyed by the moisture.
The air ducts and the vents were where the majority of the black mold had been spotted.
With this being said, the mold has become toxic to the both of them. From the time they moved in, Tara sustained multiple unexplained bruises on different parts of her body. Her skin had also been breaking out in hives and rashes in the middle of nowhere. On April 26, 2016 Tara went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a fungal infection in her mouth. This infection was all over her mouth but affected the tongue severely. She was unable to eat or drink anything for multiple days due to the pain that had been caused. Due to inability to tolerate anything by mouth, she had lost a significant amount of weight. With this severe weight loss, she also became very sick and suffered from neurological problems. Tara was taken to the hospital and was given fluids to hydrate her. All of her vitals and labs were normal but, was told she needed to be tested for toxicity by a specialist.
The apartments were notified about the findings of mold/moisture in the unit and a work order was then placed. A leasing agent came and assessed the apartment and did nothing to correct the problem. Ashley and Tara were ignored at how serious this matter had become to their health. After researching the signs and symptoms of mold/toxic exposure, they realized that it would not be possible for them to continue to stay in their current environment. BLACKMOLD.AWARDSPACE.COM The city code enforcer was called and was brought to the apartment. He was concerned with some of the things he had seen. He addressed these issues with the apartment complex and ordered that maintenance resolve the issues that were found. They were told that they needed to pay for a mold inspector to come out and verify. The inspector costs $500 and that can’t be obtained right now.
Ashley and Tara were told that they could move out whenever until the end of this month if they needed to and they would be placed in a vacant apartment until the next business day, when they could have the mold inspector come out. With having nothing to sleep on or sit on, etc. their only option at the moment was to stay at a hotel. After realizing they could not continue funding the hotel, they then came to stay on our couches. With hoping the situation would be resolved and get confirmation of the mold/toxicity, they didn’t plan on having to stay (what has now turned into 13 days) away from what they called “home” for this long.
Their dog Lilly became very sick, having blood in her stools, inability to walk/stand and was vomiting. Lilly was taken to the vet to be treated. When her bloodwork came back it showed her liver enzymes were highly elevated. No treatment was done at that time. Luckily she is feeling much better and is not showing any more signs of toxicity, now that she has had time away from the exposure.
These two have a wedding that has been set for October and were in the middle of planning the wedding. However, the money that they had saved up for their wedding and honeymoon has had to be used and is all gone. With that being said, they are going to have to cancel their wedding until finances are available.
With the nature of the illness that has affected them, they have both been unable to work. It is heartbreaking to see people you love go from successful to loosing almost everything.
The needs for the amount of the donations requested include:
· Help pay for a mold specialist: $500-$900
· Visit to toxicity specialist: $1200-$1600 per person; not covered by insurance
· Help pay for an attorney
· Help with the costs of medical bills
· Replacement of wedding decorations/Tara’s wedding dress
· Vet bill for Lilly
· Need for daily living
Even if you are unable to donate any money, you can still help by sharing this site on your Facebook and encourage others to help/share as well. Without your help they will be unable to get the testing that is required for them to take any legal actions.
“Your job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the hurting.” Romans 14:13
In February, Ashley was admitted to the hospital with complaints of severe stomach pain and vomiting. Little did we know that an emergency gallbladder surgery was in the plans. She was hospitalized for two days post-op and then returned two days after being home. Ashley was then readmitted for five days due to an acute episode of an already diagnosed pancreatitis. With both of these illnesses, she not only had to miss work due to the hospitalizations but was also advised to be on bed rest and instructed not to return to work for one month.
Shortly before Ashley was released to go back to work, she and Tara were in the process of moving into their new apartment. From the time the lease was signed and still today, this move would be detrimental to their physical and mental health as individuals and as a couple. Upon receiving the keys and during the initial walk through, they would find themselves less than satisfied with the condition of their new apartment.
They have had ongoing multiple issues with their apartment and the apartment complex since March 28th, 2016. There were things that were observed during the walk through that finally got resolved seven days after the work orders were put in. However, there are still many issues that remain unresolved. When it came time to move, the painting had still not been completed but they had no other option but to move. Not only did they not have the available time off of work to wait and move but, the movers had already been scheduled.
May 4th, 2016 there was what appeared to be mold found all throughout the apartment. Everything seemed to have a wet touch to it, so they began searching around their apartment. Different types of mold were found on many of their belongings. There are pieces of furniture that are being eaten and destroyed by the moisture.
The air ducts and the vents were where the majority of the black mold had been spotted.
With this being said, the mold has become toxic to the both of them. From the time they moved in, Tara sustained multiple unexplained bruises on different parts of her body. Her skin had also been breaking out in hives and rashes in the middle of nowhere. On April 26, 2016 Tara went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a fungal infection in her mouth. This infection was all over her mouth but affected the tongue severely. She was unable to eat or drink anything for multiple days due to the pain that had been caused. Due to inability to tolerate anything by mouth, she had lost a significant amount of weight. With this severe weight loss, she also became very sick and suffered from neurological problems. Tara was taken to the hospital and was given fluids to hydrate her. All of her vitals and labs were normal but, was told she needed to be tested for toxicity by a specialist.
The apartments were notified about the findings of mold/moisture in the unit and a work order was then placed. A leasing agent came and assessed the apartment and did nothing to correct the problem. Ashley and Tara were ignored at how serious this matter had become to their health. After researching the signs and symptoms of mold/toxic exposure, they realized that it would not be possible for them to continue to stay in their current environment. BLACKMOLD.AWARDSPACE.COM The city code enforcer was called and was brought to the apartment. He was concerned with some of the things he had seen. He addressed these issues with the apartment complex and ordered that maintenance resolve the issues that were found. They were told that they needed to pay for a mold inspector to come out and verify. The inspector costs $500 and that can’t be obtained right now.
Ashley and Tara were told that they could move out whenever until the end of this month if they needed to and they would be placed in a vacant apartment until the next business day, when they could have the mold inspector come out. With having nothing to sleep on or sit on, etc. their only option at the moment was to stay at a hotel. After realizing they could not continue funding the hotel, they then came to stay on our couches. With hoping the situation would be resolved and get confirmation of the mold/toxicity, they didn’t plan on having to stay (what has now turned into 13 days) away from what they called “home” for this long.
Their dog Lilly became very sick, having blood in her stools, inability to walk/stand and was vomiting. Lilly was taken to the vet to be treated. When her bloodwork came back it showed her liver enzymes were highly elevated. No treatment was done at that time. Luckily she is feeling much better and is not showing any more signs of toxicity, now that she has had time away from the exposure.
These two have a wedding that has been set for October and were in the middle of planning the wedding. However, the money that they had saved up for their wedding and honeymoon has had to be used and is all gone. With that being said, they are going to have to cancel their wedding until finances are available.
With the nature of the illness that has affected them, they have both been unable to work. It is heartbreaking to see people you love go from successful to loosing almost everything.
The needs for the amount of the donations requested include:
· Help pay for a mold specialist: $500-$900
· Visit to toxicity specialist: $1200-$1600 per person; not covered by insurance
· Help pay for an attorney
· Help with the costs of medical bills
· Replacement of wedding decorations/Tara’s wedding dress
· Vet bill for Lilly
· Need for daily living
Even if you are unable to donate any money, you can still help by sharing this site on your Facebook and encourage others to help/share as well. Without your help they will be unable to get the testing that is required for them to take any legal actions.
“Your job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the hurting.” Romans 14:13
Organizer and beneficiary
Erika Angelina Flanagan
Organizer
Euless, TX
Ashley Canfield
Beneficiary
