Help Adam Fund Emergency Van Living

Hi, my name is Adam, I’m 31 and I am chronically ill and disabled by Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), Toxic Mold Illness, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), Asthma, and POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).

I’ve been sick since I was 19 when I suddenly developed breathing problems. Since then, my health has continued to decline over the years, which has cost me numerous personal, career, relationship, and life opportunities. I’ve become disabled and unable to work regularly due these conditions, and in recent years, have only been able to do part-time work such as DoorDash or freelance audio mixing, which is still very difficult and dependent on the day with the number of daily symptoms I experience. I am in the process of trying to win a disability case, but it could be years before or if I am ever approved. At the rate things are going, I don’t have years.

From the start of this, I have been in and out of doctor's offices, hospitals, specialists, ERs and put through tests trying to figure out what was wrong. I spent most of those years not getting any real answers or help from doctors, being heavily dismissed and given treatment and drug options that did not help.

In 2024, I found a new specialist to help diagnose and treat my conditions. Through multiple testing, I learned my health conditions, among other factors, were largely being caused by toxic mold.

I am currently trapped living in a home with toxic mold and have been made sick by it. My environment causes me constant asthma, cognitive, and neurological symptoms related to my mast cell disease that can cause potentially dangerous asthma symptoms if allowed to escalate. My ability to function is extremely poor and I will likely continue to decline everyday that I stay here, despite being on medications and supplements to treat the root causes of my issues.

The mold in my environment is one the primary causes of my MCS and MCAS, which cause my lungs to be extremely sensitive and reactive to many substances aside from mold including artificial fragrances, detergents, cleaners, perfumes, colognes, and volatile inorganic compounds (VOCs) found in many housing and building materials. Since these substances are so prevalent in our world, I cannot physically tolerate living in government housing or homeless shelters that would otherwise be available to me; I can barely handle most hotels. I have exhausted every potential housing resource and I don’t have any family or friends I can stay with or will help me (trust me, I have tried).

I have a car that I often sleep in and use as temporary shelter to try to stay out of the house, but it too has developed mold problems, and now I'm having a lot of symptoms and breathing problems just trying to drive it. I’m currently trying to fix that if possible, but ideally, I want to trade it for a bigger car or van so I can have a more sustainable means of living and the ability to travel. I currently live in Ohio, but my plan is to travel west to Arizona or Utah to find refuge, as there is a community of many others there also sick from mold who have found improvement in the warm, dry environment. Being able to relocate there would allow me to help avoid mold and humidity, survive the winters, and give me the best chance of getting resources and help for these issues compared to where I live now.

Any donations I receive will allow me to put savings towards a bigger car or van and purchase the necessary essentials and equipment needed for living on the road, which will give me the first real opportunity in my life for a chance to move out. I live with my parents, but they cannot help me financially and want me to move out, and I am struggling just trying to cover the few monthly expenses I have now with my limited income sources. If I can move out and get away from the toxic mold, there is a chance I can improve my conditions in the long term and maybe even be able to work more. Without this support, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do this. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.

Aside from my sickness, I’ve been a musician and songwriter for 15 years. Music is my passion and brings me purpose in my life like nothing else. In 2019, I went to college for audio engineering and started my own freelance audio business. My ambition was to work in person with bands and artists, doing all the recording, editing, and mixing. I graduated in 2021, and had a small studio space for a little while, but unfortunately, my health conditions continued to decline, so I closed the studio have been limited to doing freelance work from home since. My hope is that if I can get away from the toxic mold and heal, maybe I will be able to resume some of those dreams, and make more work for myself.

I greatly appreciate anyone that is able or willing to help. If you can’t donate, just sharing this GoFundMe is a huge help. I’m fighting like hell and I want my years of suffering to mean something. This feels like my last chance to help myself and find something better.

Thank you to anyone and everyone that is able to help.