A new mold-free home!
Donation protected
My good friends Annie and Ray and their four children (ages 4, 6, 8 & 9) are currently struggling with a huge financial burden due to the removal of toxic mold that has overtaken much of their beloved home in Tolland, CT.
Over the past four years, all six members of their family have struggled in varying degrees with health problems – from a mini stroke and Bells Palsy to chronic coughs, bloody noses, and headaches – and, in May 2017, an inspection of their home uncovered the root of their issues: high concentrations of toxic mold that was thriving in multiple locations throughout their house. At that point, they knew that staying in their home would only continue to put their health in jeopardy, so they packed their bags and walked away from their lives as they knew them. Five months later, they’re still splitting their time between living in tents and a docked sailboat housed in their backyard, and with a good friend and neighbor who has so graciously taken them in (including their dog, Lindy!).
In order for my friends to even come close to stepping foot back into their home, they’ve had to replace their entire roof, gut several rooms down to the studs (including the kitchen, family room, homeschooling classroom, craft & game closet, and music room), and fill four dumpsters with porous belongings that they were unable to keep due to toxic contamination. While they did manage to clean and sell a couple of things, it eventually became too emotionally draining for them, so they salvaged what they could (and what was deemed safe for others) and donated several van-loads. The items they tried to hang on to were kept under tents in their yard, but unfortunately, as luck would have it, one of the tents leaked and the other was destroyed by a microburst, ruining everything that remained. This included all of the homeschool supplies and some of the children’s toys, along with numerous other items they had managed to salvage.
All told, they lost over 90% of their belongings. Everything from couches, beds, mattresses, and kitchen cabinets to irreplaceable children’s art and photos.
All gone.
What’s more, the people they hired to handle the mold remediation and rebuilding process ended up causing more contamination due to their carelessness – ultimately costing them more money, more heartache, and more time/lost wages.
Annie and Ray are two of the most loving, caring, selfless people I’ve ever been privileged to call friends – the kind of people who would drop anything at any given moment to help a friend in need. I know because I’ve seen them taking care of others, time and time again, with the little they have. In December of last year, their close family friend (who also happened to be Ray’s boss) died tragically from suicide. Several months before his passing, Annie and Ray had loaned him a good portion of the savings they had set aside for their children to help him take care of some of unexpected workplace renovations. Upon his death, they not only lost a close friend, but learned he had betrayed and victimized them, as well. He had lied, stolen their money, and committed forgery and identity theft in an effort to tackle personal demons that he ultimately succumbed to -- leaving Ray unemployed and the family virtually penniless.
Currently, Annie and Ray are still sorting, cleaning, and trying desperately to do what they can to make their home a safe space for their family to return to, but they need help; the estimated costs are way higher than what they can afford. Their insurance covered around $17,000 in remediation costs (which only paid for the removal of the mold in the family room and half of the cost of a new roof), but did not cover any of the kitchen or any belongings that were lost. Some walls are still down to the studs. Their front steps and back steps need to be replaced, as well as toilets, shower enclosures, and bathroom vanity.
Here are some photos that show the magnitude of the process:
Annie is a full-time mom and teacher to their four precious children, and Ray is an independent LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist) and MMP (Medical Massage Practitioner), so they are only getting by on one income.
I realize that times are hard for so many people, but I also know that there are so many caring people who don’t have it nearly as tough as Annie and Ray do. If you are one of those people and you would like to help out, you will not only receive a lifetime of good Karma (guaranteed!), but you will also be helping my friends slowly rebuild their lives and recover from this devastating hardship that has taken so much from them.
Aside from monetary donations through GoFundMe that will help them with the out-of-pocket costs to rebuild, they have also registered for some everyday household items that need to be replaced due to contamination. If you’d prefer to buy something to help them replenish, you can find those registries here:
Amazon registry
Target registry
Thank you so much for your consideration and and/or contribution!
SaveSaveSaveSaveSave
Over the past four years, all six members of their family have struggled in varying degrees with health problems – from a mini stroke and Bells Palsy to chronic coughs, bloody noses, and headaches – and, in May 2017, an inspection of their home uncovered the root of their issues: high concentrations of toxic mold that was thriving in multiple locations throughout their house. At that point, they knew that staying in their home would only continue to put their health in jeopardy, so they packed their bags and walked away from their lives as they knew them. Five months later, they’re still splitting their time between living in tents and a docked sailboat housed in their backyard, and with a good friend and neighbor who has so graciously taken them in (including their dog, Lindy!).
In order for my friends to even come close to stepping foot back into their home, they’ve had to replace their entire roof, gut several rooms down to the studs (including the kitchen, family room, homeschooling classroom, craft & game closet, and music room), and fill four dumpsters with porous belongings that they were unable to keep due to toxic contamination. While they did manage to clean and sell a couple of things, it eventually became too emotionally draining for them, so they salvaged what they could (and what was deemed safe for others) and donated several van-loads. The items they tried to hang on to were kept under tents in their yard, but unfortunately, as luck would have it, one of the tents leaked and the other was destroyed by a microburst, ruining everything that remained. This included all of the homeschool supplies and some of the children’s toys, along with numerous other items they had managed to salvage.
All told, they lost over 90% of their belongings. Everything from couches, beds, mattresses, and kitchen cabinets to irreplaceable children’s art and photos.
All gone.
What’s more, the people they hired to handle the mold remediation and rebuilding process ended up causing more contamination due to their carelessness – ultimately costing them more money, more heartache, and more time/lost wages.
Annie and Ray are two of the most loving, caring, selfless people I’ve ever been privileged to call friends – the kind of people who would drop anything at any given moment to help a friend in need. I know because I’ve seen them taking care of others, time and time again, with the little they have. In December of last year, their close family friend (who also happened to be Ray’s boss) died tragically from suicide. Several months before his passing, Annie and Ray had loaned him a good portion of the savings they had set aside for their children to help him take care of some of unexpected workplace renovations. Upon his death, they not only lost a close friend, but learned he had betrayed and victimized them, as well. He had lied, stolen their money, and committed forgery and identity theft in an effort to tackle personal demons that he ultimately succumbed to -- leaving Ray unemployed and the family virtually penniless.
Currently, Annie and Ray are still sorting, cleaning, and trying desperately to do what they can to make their home a safe space for their family to return to, but they need help; the estimated costs are way higher than what they can afford. Their insurance covered around $17,000 in remediation costs (which only paid for the removal of the mold in the family room and half of the cost of a new roof), but did not cover any of the kitchen or any belongings that were lost. Some walls are still down to the studs. Their front steps and back steps need to be replaced, as well as toilets, shower enclosures, and bathroom vanity.
Here are some photos that show the magnitude of the process:
Annie is a full-time mom and teacher to their four precious children, and Ray is an independent LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist) and MMP (Medical Massage Practitioner), so they are only getting by on one income.
I realize that times are hard for so many people, but I also know that there are so many caring people who don’t have it nearly as tough as Annie and Ray do. If you are one of those people and you would like to help out, you will not only receive a lifetime of good Karma (guaranteed!), but you will also be helping my friends slowly rebuild their lives and recover from this devastating hardship that has taken so much from them.
Aside from monetary donations through GoFundMe that will help them with the out-of-pocket costs to rebuild, they have also registered for some everyday household items that need to be replaced due to contamination. If you’d prefer to buy something to help them replenish, you can find those registries here:
Amazon registry
Target registry
Thank you so much for your consideration and and/or contribution!
SaveSaveSaveSaveSave
Organizer and beneficiary
Gina LoSauro Wangrycht
Organizer
New Britain, CT
Annie Guidone
Beneficiary
