
Father Critically Ill From Mold
In October 2015 my parents rented a home through a Property Management Company. The home was 4 years old. Soon after moving in they learned from neighbors that the previous tenants were using Meth & Marijuana. They also learned that previous tenants stuffed the HVAC with Clothes & Blankets & taped the vents shut but never removed them when they vacated the home. The house sat for two months from August to October growing mold in the HVAC. Property Management removed clothes, etc. right before my parents moved in but did not clean vents & HVAC. Mold continued to grow. My Dad's health started declining to the point of not being able to breathe as the mold spores seeped into his sinuses and lungs forcing him to sleep outdoors in a lawn chair just to breathe. This continued from May 2016 through early June. My mom requested a mold test from Property Managers on June 6th. Two weeks later my Dad was in the hospital. He was diagnosed with Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis, a serious lung issue caused by ingesting mold spores. After a second request at the end of June The Property Managers finally conducted a Cursory Air Quality Test in the home which to their amazement proved high levels of mold spores in the home. My Father's health continued to decline and he was put back in the hospital in early July with chronic kidney failure and congestive heart failure. My Mom's kidneys also showed signs of decreased function--down to 47%. She has never had any trouble with her kidneys. My parents have been fairly healthy so they only have Medicare which does not nearly cover my Dad's hospital and Doctor bills. In mid July my Dad was rushed to the hospital again. He has remained in ICU for the past 10 days. In the meantime, they have not been able to reside in the home due to the health risks. We have travelled to different cities to get him the proper care that deal specifically with his issues and with everything, we have been forced to stay in motels with the dogs. I have been with them through this all helping and supporting emotionally, financially & physically whether being at Hospital, taking care of Dogs and helping in any way I can. It has cost us around $2000 a week to stay in a very moderately priced motel since we're forced to rent two rooms because of the dogs. Meanwhile, the property managers insist they will not pay the expenses to stay out of my parents home. They have offered them the option to either get out of the lease or my parents must cover expenses to live out of the home for an undetermined amount of time until they do further testing and remediation. Property Managers have been dragging their feet and not cooperating in accomplishing this, hoping my Parents will opt out of the lease which gives them nothing, or break the lease by not paying their rent, which also puts them out with nothing and would allow property management to sue them for breaking lease. My parents, who are both retired and living on Social Security have now depleted their savings. They have contacted an attorney who specializes in mold and landlord/tenant issues but now they don't have the funds to fight the property managers and the homeowners. In addition, they will need to travel to Duke University Hospital for Mold Testing and detox once my Dad is released from the hospital. The medical expenses are mounting, the costs to stay in motels out of their home while still required to pay their monthly rent and pay the attorney to assist them is way more than they have or can afford. I'm at a loss as well so seeking help for them. I am very concerned for their health, especially if they can't get detoxed to get the mold spores out of their system in order to restore their health. Please help me help my parents cover the expenses that continue to mount up --the housing, medical and legal expenses they cannot pay! If anyone knows of a foundation that may be willing to help we appreciate it. I am worried my Parents would be forced to live in those conditions or be forced out with compromised health due to the neglience of the Property Management Company & Homeowner. My family does not want another family to go through what we've been through by this Property Management Company. My father should be able to recover to Health with proper treatment and a healthy living environment. Thank you so much! May God Bless you!