Help the Sheldon-Owings Family live in a Toxin Free Home
Donation protected
Hello everyone, I am writing on behalf of the Sheldon-Owings family who are currently in a season of crisis. I have had the privilege of knowing Emma's family for 14 years and Emma is the Mom to our niece and nephew.
Right now this family needs the help of their community.
Emma has been navigating chronic illness for the past 8 years caused by mold toxicity. The home was remediated 4 years ago and again this past April, but both attempts unfortunately failed to resolve the issue and cost thousands of dollars. Following extensive research, the family has just had a comprehensive mold inspection by a nationally accredited company, which revealed a significant amount of mold and toxins remaining in the home. Based on the severity of the situation, Emma's doctors have advised her to vacate the home immediately due to the seriousness of her condition. The inspectors have also advised the family that it is not safe for any of the family members to continue living in the home at this time without proper and effective remediation. We have witnessed firsthand Emma’s health decline over the past few years as she has tried to manage her health issues, while navigating her responsibilities to her family, and still maintain her private mental health counseling practice.
The family also has a family member who has been experiencing a significant mental health crisis. The family is trying to determine if the the toxins are a factor contributing to this situation, but the costs of testing is beyond what they can afford. Significant out of pocket medical expenses just keep rolling in.
The Sheldon-Owings family co-house together and they have been advised that the entire family will need to be relocated during the mold remediation process for safety purposes. The extent of expenses to remediate the home will be well over $100,000 based on what the family understands from the mold report and the remediation company's inspection of the home. The family will need to completely "pack out" the home, dispose of furniture and other items, rent storage units, pay for additional living costs, pay for deconstruction, remediation, reconstruction of their living space, as well as pay for a place to stay during this process. There will also be additional costs for re-testing to ensure the home is safe to return to.
In addition to the above, Emma has also incurred a significant amount of out of pocket expenses to afford the medications she is needing to treat her illness, and her symptoms have impacted her ability to work enough hours to cover these costs.
In response to my offer, Emma and her family have agreed for me to set up this page for them during this time of need. The Sheldon-Owings family are amazing, generous people, who have opened their home to those in need over the years. Through their volunteer work and their regular jobs they represent the very best of what it means to serve and care for others.
Currently they are hoping for the ability to live in a mold free home which will make it possible for the necessary physical, mental, and emotional healing to transpire. The Sheldon-Owings family are extremely grateful for any support you are able to offer including prayers for healing, resources for mold free spaces they could stay for one to two months during the remediation process that allows dogs, and sharing this page far and wide.
With love, April
If you are curious to learn more about the effects of mold on health especially in people with genetic predisposition, please click on the links below:
Co-organizers (3)
April George
Organizer
Brattleboro, VT
Emma Sheldon
Co-organizer
Sue Owings
Co-organizer