Help My Aunt (2nd from left) Rebuild Her Future

Greetings friends and relatives. Please consider helping my wonderful and caring 71 year old aunt who is going thru a terrible ordeal! She is the second one on the left. See her story below:

MY STORY

I have lost everything I own.

Every stitch of clothing, all my furniture and household items to toxic chemicals - VOCs

(volatile organic compound). It was emitted from old carpet in a rental house. The toxic fumes

permeated everything I own.

Scarily, It makes me sick:

• Severe double vision

• Memory loss, confusion, inability to concentrate & organize basic tasks

• Severe, unexplainable fatigue and erratic sleeping

• Weakness w/staggering walk, incoordination & loss of balance, intermittent tremors

• Scarring in the lungs, coughing up phlegm, sore throat & sinus problems. It ’s a carcinogen

(cancer).

• Headaches, dizziness, rashes

DOCTORS: They thought it could be a rare autoimmune disease but all tests were negative.

I thought these symptoms were random UNTIL:

• I stayed at my sister’s house, and symptoms quickly lessened.

• Professional carpet layers are reporting the same symptoms, but found no treatment

options

WHAT CAUSED IT?

• Old carpet in my Arizona rental house gave off toxic fumes. It was treated, but seems it

was never eliminated in the 4 years I lived there. I and visitors could intermittently smell it. It

worsened in early 2021. With Covid 19, I was exposed more, spending much more time in

the house. When I returned from a Minnesota visit feeling better, the smell was very strong

and in every room. I knew I had to leave immediately.

What did I do?

• I informed the landlord of the serious problem and asked to break my lease. I moved out

within 2 weeks. I spent $7000 to move my things into a new Minnesota apartment - only

to throw them away.

PROBLEM SOLVED?

• NO, because I’d brought it with me. Everything I had in that rental house had absorbed

the chemicals. Within 2 weeks, the new apartment had the same toxic odor. Washing

clothes multiple times, and treating them w/ozone did nothing.

• I became sicker. Also, having worked intensely in the rental house to move, and in the new

apartment to manage it, I was exposed more, even masks didn’t protect me.

WHAT TO DO?

• Per consultants, I bought $900 DIY equipment (air scrubber, small ozone generator) for

multiple treatments. It only got worse. No one in the metro area treats it. It’s a newer and

rare problem. I could pay a Georgian company $2000 to test VOCs, but there is still no

recognized way to eliminate it.

• I consulted an IICRC certified Crime Scene remediator who worked w/death odors as the

most difficult to eliminate.

• HE INSISTED THAT I HAD TO THROW EVERYTHING AWAY. THERE WAS NO

OTHER WAY.

• After trying everything I was advised, the odors only got worse and I got sicker - so I

agreed.

HOW DO I SAVE THE APARTMENT ITSELF?

• I was so very concerned that the apartment would be contaminated also. Professionals and

online resources consistently said:

• Remove the source - which was my possessions.

• I removed out all furniture & clothing. Used the air scrubber. It’s working!

WHY NOT SUBMIT A CLAIM TO RENTER’S INSURANCE? They don’t recognize it. It’s too

rare.

• I’d have to prove it w/objective tests. No one here can do it.

• Only a few doctors have begun to recognize it as a real and serious syndrome (150 in the

country, none here).

HISTORY OF OTHER LOSSES:

• A chemical exposure at the hospital where I lost brain and muscle function. But I recovered

enough to work… until

• A distracted SUV driver crossed the median to hit me head on. This crushed my spine and

the nerves to my muscles. I could no longer be a therapist at our regional Spinal Cord Injury

Center. I have about half of my strength left and difficulty with bowel and bladder.

WHY ASK FOR HELP

It’s a bizarre problem. I can’t find my way out of it, and it feels devastating. I hate asking

anyone for help - ever. I’d much rather give it. It’s very embarrassing, but with loving

suggestion from others, I’m asking for help from those who can afford to offer it. Assuredly, I

will be a ‘pay it forward’ person.

Thank you very much for giving your attention to this.

Carol Knutson