My name is Rachael Golden and I’m raising support for my sister Carly, her husband Shea, and their two toddlers as they rebuild a life they never imagined losing. Earlier this year, they discovered toxic black mold that had infiltrated their entire home. They were advised to evacuate immediately and have been living with family ever since. They have learned that the mold is undoubtedly responsible for consistent sickness they’ve been experiencing and that almost all of their belongings are unable to be salvaged. The mold remediation and home repairs aren’t covered by insurance, nor is the cost of replacing their possessions.

Since moving to their home 5 years ago, Carly has had unexplainable health issues with years of various doctor visits, labs, scans, etc. Then, their 4 month old son developed severe eczema. As you can see in the photo below, his eczema was so severe that it changed almost every aspect of their daily lives. Their days turned into a heartbreaking routine: changing bloody sheets, treating his damaged skin, and comforting a baby who was in so much pain most of the day.

They refused to accept that this was simply something their son had to live with. Carly spent a year of intense research, countless doctor visits, testing, diet changes, and supplements, searching for anything that could explain why her baby was suffering. She was determined to discover the root cause of her son’s illness, all while feeling sick herself.

After a year of no answers or progress, their son’s lab results showed high levels of toxic mold in his system. It took months of full home inspections and tests to finally find the culprit: toxic black mold hidden behind their walls, floors and ceilings from water damage that happened years before they bought their home.

Within weeks of leaving their home, their son began to heal. The baby who had spent most of his life in pain was suddenly happy, comfortable and able to enjoy being a toddler.

They’ve spent the last few months remediating and renovating the affected areas of their home. Now they’re facing the enormous task of throwing the majority of their belongings away (mattresses, furniture, children’s belongings, household items), trying to make their home safe enough to move back in, all without the help of insurance. To put it in perspective, Carly has described it as feeling like their house burned down, except they’re facing the aftermath without the financial help that normally comes with such a loss.

In addition to these expenses, the whole family will need to go through extensive testing, detoxes and healing protocols with specialists, most of which isn’t covered by insurance.

The cost of this has been astronomical and continues to be so. Carly and Shea never expected to need help like this. They never imagined they would have to walk away from nearly everything they owned and lean on others for support as they worked to rebuild their lives.

Any donation, no matter the size, will help ease some of the financial burden and allow them to focus on what matters most: getting their children healthy, making their home safe again and rebuilding a sense of normalcy for their family.

Please keep them in your prayers, that they'll regain their health and a safe home. If you are in a position to be a village to them, please don't hesitate to reach out and see if they could use help with the home, playdates with the kids, or an encouraging word. A very huge thank you to the family and friends who have already been doing so!