Dan and Jocelyn McKiernan have three young children and live on 99th Street in Niagara Falls, about 300 feet from Love Canal.

A month ago, they thought they were putting in a pool for their kids. Instead, the excavation uncovered buried industrial waste, stained soil and other materials in their backyard.

What happened next has turned their family’s life upside down.

Testing has now confirmed contamination both outside and inside their home. Testing of the exposed waste found exceedances of lead, copper, nickel, DDT and hexavalent chromium, among other substances. Testing of their sump also detected numerous heavy metals and chemicals associated with Love Canal waste.

This is especially serious for the McKiernans because their six-year-old son, Wyatt, has significant medical and accessibility needs. Wyatt is nonverbal, has limited mobility and requires specialized equipment, accommodations and in-home care.

His pediatrician has called for the family to be relocated because of the health risks. Three of Wyatt’s medical care providers cannot return to the house without assurances that it is safe.

Dan and Jocelyn need to get their children into a safe home.

But there is a major financial problem standing in their way.

They still owe approximately $122,000 on their mortgage, and the house is effectively unmarketable because of the contamination.

They can’t simply put it up for sale and use the equity to buy another house. They are left with a mortgage on a contaminated property while also needing to come up with a down payment for another home—one that is suitable for Wyatt’s wheelchair, equipment and medical needs.

That is why we are starting this GoFundMe.

Our goal is to raise enough money to pay off the McKiernans’ existing mortgage and give them the down payment they need to purchase a safe, accessible home for their family.

Paying off the mortgage would allow them to hold onto the existing property while the contamination, cleanup and responsibility for what happened are addressed, without that mortgage preventing them from obtaining another home.

This family has already invested heavily in the house they may now have to leave.

They spent approximately $8,000 on a sidewalk for Wyatt’s wheelchair. They have also put substantial money into a deck, porch, drainage and sump system, bathroom improvements, windows, a furnace and air-conditioning system, landscaping, tree removal and other improvements.

Those weren’t investments they expected to walk away from. This was their home.

And now they need another one.

The McKiernans have been asking government agencies for help and for relocation. Wyatt’s pediatrician has recommended relocation. A retired EPA scientist who reviewed the family’s information also strongly recommended relocation and stated that permanent relocation should be an option.

But the family needs a solution now.

This fundraiser is about giving Dan and Jocelyn the ability to get their children out of this house and into a safe home without financially destroying their family in the process.

They should not have to continue living in a contaminated home simply because they cannot sell it and cannot afford to carry two houses.

If you can contribute, please do. Every donation gets them closer to being able to move their children somewhere safe.

And if you can’t donate, please share their story.

Let’s help Dan, Jocelyn and their kids get into a safe home and give them the chance to start over.