Help Dylan Get Relief from Toxic Mold
Donation protected
HI, I’M DYLAN’S FRIEND, KAYLIN.
Dylan is one of those people whose presence makes you feel safer — when you’re around them you can let go and sink into your own skin.
They are arrestingly kind, honest, and an indefatigable advocate for those who are suffering. Dylan loves cats and memes and especially enjoys memes about cats.
I met Dylan because we are both severely impacted by the same diseases. We experienced chronic exposures to toxic molds, which damaged our immune systems, leading to harm in our brains and many other parts of our bodies. What Dylan and I experience is actually quite similar to those with severe forms of long COVID.
For both of us, our mold exposures, among other factors, also led us to develop myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a disease with a lower average quality of life than that of stroke victims.*
Then, we, like thousands of others with our illness, discovered that our bodies are able to heal significantly by getting out of the toxic molds that made us so sick. We don’t have to live with the same severity of dozens of debilitating symptoms; like daily migraines, cognitive difficulties, memory problems, dizziness, blurry vision, and deep brain fog; that keep us from meaningfully participating in our communities.
**For more information and resources regarding toxic mold illness and ME/CFS, please scroll to the bottom of this fundraiser.
Dylan’s Story
In 2015, Dylan was hospitalized with a severe flu and a frighteningly high fever. But after the flu ended, their symptoms didn’t. Dylan began to suffer from chronic flu-like symptoms, chronic sore throats, increasing exhaustion, and neurological problems.
Then, when Dylan moved from an apartment into a house, they experienced a sudden, further decline in their health. At the time, Dylan did not realize that many people with ME/CFS become extremely sensitive to mold after battling viral infections like the one they had. Because Dylan didn’t understand this connection, they stayed at the house that was making them sick and continued to decline.
It wasn’t until months later, when their girlfriend at the time watched the documentary Unrest, that they began to piece together the connection between their illness, toxic mold, and ME/CFS. Unrest features Jennifer Brea’s journey with her ME/CFS diagnosis, including the ways in which mold impacts her disease. After watching, their girlfriend said, “Dylan, that’s you!”
From there, Dylan’s story has many twists and turns. It is possible that they had a mild form of ME/CFS during their teenage years and early adulthood. It is possible that chronic exposures to toxic mold weakened their immune system long before their viral illness in 2015. But one thing is certain: Dylan’s health consistently declines when exposed to toxic mold.
Dylan Needs Your Help!
They are extremely sick — and every day they stay in the moldy home contributing to their illness, the sicker they get.
Their ME/CFS has recently hit a new record low. They are steadily losing the ability to work or care for themselves. It’s time to act!
Although their ME/CFS may have multiple causes and may require multiple treatment approaches, Dylan already knows that when they are able to avoid toxic mold their body starts to recover. They have experienced this firsthand!
And both Dylan and I know many people in our mold-sick community who have healed and rejoined the world, largely through avoiding toxic molds.
When Dylan has access to a safe, mold-free environment all of these symptoms, and more, significantly diminish: almost daily migraines, dizziness, tachycardia, memory problems, word finding difficulties, blurry vision, brain fog, and exhaustion/post-exertional malaise.
When Dylan gets away from toxic molds, they can go for a walk without being unable to bear weight on their legs for the next three days. They can think clearly enough to plan for the future. They can even draw and write songs on the ukulele again!
Image Description: Two drawings that Dylan created while staying in one of the mold-free AirBnB’s that they would like to go back to. The first image has some low-lying plants and flowers rooted in the ground. The sun is shining in the light blue sky. Tall pink, purple, yellow, and orange flowers reach towards the sky. The second image features a dark green ground in the forefront, with a multicolored, darker blue sky. Yellow, orange, pink, and purple flowers are blooming off of green foliage.
Right now, it feels like Dylan’s “brain is on fire.” But when they’ve walked into mold-free housing in the past, it felt like “jumping into a pool of cold water, putting out the flames.” Dylan longs to feel safe in their body again.
Where You Come In
In order to heal and be able to be sustain themselves again, Dylan needs access to mold-free housing.
Luckily, Dylan has found two AirBnB’s that are good enough for this beginning stage of their healing. Their first move will be to one of these short-term rentals.
How their body does there over a few weeks time will dictate Dylan’s needs for future stages of healing. It is possible that Dylan will be able to continue to heal in mold-free housing in North Carolina. It is also possible that Dylan will need to temporarily leave the area for a drier climate or different outdoor biome.
Healing from mold illness can be done. It takes time and it requires an environment free enough of toxic mold. They may need 12 months of support from their community to access safe housing so that they can heal.
It is also possible that future treatments will be needed to address other potential causes of Dylan’s ME/CFS, or complications that have arisen from it. But for now, it’s imperative to stop Dylan’s current deterioration.
The first funds will be used to secure a mold-free AirBnB, to gather information about what Dylan’s body needs next and to give their body a chance to begin healing from toxic mold exposures. It is important that we continue to raise money so that Dylan can continue to heal. Each time they run out of money for healing, they risk having to seek shelter in the buildings that have been making them sick. These exposures set their health back dearly.
As a friend and a person who cares deeply about Dylan’s survival, I am asking you to give whatever you can to help them.
This simple life-saving treatment isn’t covered by insurance. With all of our help, we know they can make it through this crisis, regain their health, and bring their joy and advocacy back to their communities. Dylan is a light we do not want to lose.
Stopping Dylan’s current decline and getting them into one of the AirBnB’s has become urgent, so let’s do this! Please, if you can, donate to secure safe housing for Dylan.
You could literally save a life.
Please donate what you can, share this page with others, and follow us on IG: @helpdylanheal. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
If you would like to donate directly to Dylan’s healing, you can use:
If you have any questions, please email them to [email redacted] or contact us through IG: @helpdylanheal.
Dylan is one of those people whose presence makes you feel safer — when you’re around them you can let go and sink into your own skin.
They are arrestingly kind, honest, and an indefatigable advocate for those who are suffering. Dylan loves cats and memes and especially enjoys memes about cats.
I met Dylan because we are both severely impacted by the same diseases. We experienced chronic exposures to toxic molds, which damaged our immune systems, leading to harm in our brains and many other parts of our bodies. What Dylan and I experience is actually quite similar to those with severe forms of long COVID.
For both of us, our mold exposures, among other factors, also led us to develop myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a disease with a lower average quality of life than that of stroke victims.*
Then, we, like thousands of others with our illness, discovered that our bodies are able to heal significantly by getting out of the toxic molds that made us so sick. We don’t have to live with the same severity of dozens of debilitating symptoms; like daily migraines, cognitive difficulties, memory problems, dizziness, blurry vision, and deep brain fog; that keep us from meaningfully participating in our communities.
**For more information and resources regarding toxic mold illness and ME/CFS, please scroll to the bottom of this fundraiser.
Dylan’s Story
In 2015, Dylan was hospitalized with a severe flu and a frighteningly high fever. But after the flu ended, their symptoms didn’t. Dylan began to suffer from chronic flu-like symptoms, chronic sore throats, increasing exhaustion, and neurological problems.
Then, when Dylan moved from an apartment into a house, they experienced a sudden, further decline in their health. At the time, Dylan did not realize that many people with ME/CFS become extremely sensitive to mold after battling viral infections like the one they had. Because Dylan didn’t understand this connection, they stayed at the house that was making them sick and continued to decline.
It wasn’t until months later, when their girlfriend at the time watched the documentary Unrest, that they began to piece together the connection between their illness, toxic mold, and ME/CFS. Unrest features Jennifer Brea’s journey with her ME/CFS diagnosis, including the ways in which mold impacts her disease. After watching, their girlfriend said, “Dylan, that’s you!”
From there, Dylan’s story has many twists and turns. It is possible that they had a mild form of ME/CFS during their teenage years and early adulthood. It is possible that chronic exposures to toxic mold weakened their immune system long before their viral illness in 2015. But one thing is certain: Dylan’s health consistently declines when exposed to toxic mold.
Dylan Needs Your Help!
They are extremely sick — and every day they stay in the moldy home contributing to their illness, the sicker they get.
Their ME/CFS has recently hit a new record low. They are steadily losing the ability to work or care for themselves. It’s time to act!
Although their ME/CFS may have multiple causes and may require multiple treatment approaches, Dylan already knows that when they are able to avoid toxic mold their body starts to recover. They have experienced this firsthand!
And both Dylan and I know many people in our mold-sick community who have healed and rejoined the world, largely through avoiding toxic molds.
When Dylan has access to a safe, mold-free environment all of these symptoms, and more, significantly diminish: almost daily migraines, dizziness, tachycardia, memory problems, word finding difficulties, blurry vision, brain fog, and exhaustion/post-exertional malaise.
When Dylan gets away from toxic molds, they can go for a walk without being unable to bear weight on their legs for the next three days. They can think clearly enough to plan for the future. They can even draw and write songs on the ukulele again!
Image Description: Two drawings that Dylan created while staying in one of the mold-free AirBnB’s that they would like to go back to. The first image has some low-lying plants and flowers rooted in the ground. The sun is shining in the light blue sky. Tall pink, purple, yellow, and orange flowers reach towards the sky. The second image features a dark green ground in the forefront, with a multicolored, darker blue sky. Yellow, orange, pink, and purple flowers are blooming off of green foliage.
Right now, it feels like Dylan’s “brain is on fire.” But when they’ve walked into mold-free housing in the past, it felt like “jumping into a pool of cold water, putting out the flames.” Dylan longs to feel safe in their body again.
Where You Come In
In order to heal and be able to be sustain themselves again, Dylan needs access to mold-free housing.
Luckily, Dylan has found two AirBnB’s that are good enough for this beginning stage of their healing. Their first move will be to one of these short-term rentals.
How their body does there over a few weeks time will dictate Dylan’s needs for future stages of healing. It is possible that Dylan will be able to continue to heal in mold-free housing in North Carolina. It is also possible that Dylan will need to temporarily leave the area for a drier climate or different outdoor biome.
Healing from mold illness can be done. It takes time and it requires an environment free enough of toxic mold. They may need 12 months of support from their community to access safe housing so that they can heal.
It is also possible that future treatments will be needed to address other potential causes of Dylan’s ME/CFS, or complications that have arisen from it. But for now, it’s imperative to stop Dylan’s current deterioration.
The first funds will be used to secure a mold-free AirBnB, to gather information about what Dylan’s body needs next and to give their body a chance to begin healing from toxic mold exposures. It is important that we continue to raise money so that Dylan can continue to heal. Each time they run out of money for healing, they risk having to seek shelter in the buildings that have been making them sick. These exposures set their health back dearly.
As a friend and a person who cares deeply about Dylan’s survival, I am asking you to give whatever you can to help them.
This simple life-saving treatment isn’t covered by insurance. With all of our help, we know they can make it through this crisis, regain their health, and bring their joy and advocacy back to their communities. Dylan is a light we do not want to lose.
Stopping Dylan’s current decline and getting them into one of the AirBnB’s has become urgent, so let’s do this! Please, if you can, donate to secure safe housing for Dylan.
You could literally save a life.
Please donate what you can, share this page with others, and follow us on IG: @helpdylanheal. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
If you would like to donate directly to Dylan’s healing, you can use:
- Paypal - [email redacted]
- Cash App - $helpdylanheal
If you have any questions, please email them to [email redacted] or contact us through IG: @helpdylanheal.
Image Description: A close-up of a person’s face and neck, while they look into the camera. They are white, have long brown hair, and are wearing a light pink mask with pink and white flowers on it. They are also wearing a pink zippered shirt, unzipped at the neck.
*References
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0132421
**Toxic Mold Illness and ME/CFS Resources
Erik Johnson on Toxic Mold Illness and the Locations Effect {a podcast interview}
Mary Ackerley, M.D. on “Brain on Fire” and “The Role of Toxic Mold in Triggering Psychiatric Symptoms” {a blog article}
Mary Ackerley, M.D. on Changes in the Brain in Toxic Mold Illness {an interview on YouTube}
Jennifer Brea on Having ME/CFS {a TedTalk on YouTube}
Whitney Dafoe on Having Severe ME/CFS {a YouTube video}
Unrest, a Movie Documenting Jennifer Brea’s Journey with ME/CFS {currently on Netflix }
Encyclopedic website on ME/CFS {includes reference to environmental or mold-related triggers of ME/CFS}
I Think I’m Living In Mold - What Do I Do? {an article to read if you are, in fact, wondering this}
Co-organizers (2)
Dylan Smith
Organizer
Greensboro, NC
Aurora J
Co-organizer