Help the Rutkowski Family Rebuild Their Home

Hi there! My name is Megan, and I am raising funds for my sister and her family to help with the incurring expenses from mold that has devastated their home, health, and finances.

In the summer of 2014, Ashley and Mike purchased their first home together. The house was a fixer-upper, and they spent countless hours turning it into the home they loved. They had two beautiful children, and life seemed pretty good until late November 2020, when Ashley started having significant health issues, and Mike's health issues started compounding. After countless doctor visits, scans, and labs tests, it was determined that they were getting sick from the toxic mold inside their house. Air sampling done by a mold inspection company determined there were significant levels of the mold Aspergillus that was producing high levels of a mycotoxin called Ochratoxin A. These nasty toxins can cause serious health issues. Some of the health issues they have been working to overcome are severe pain, extreme fatigue, brain fog, intense digestive problems, migraines, memory issues, thyroid issues, heart palpitations. Ashley, Mike, and Nolan have also been dealing with reoccurring viral-like illnesses that come on every two weeks due to their weekend immune systems. They had to take their daughter Brooklyn out of daycare because of how detrimental the constant illnesses were having on their health. Nolan already has a compromised immune system from having Down Syndrome, and recovering from mold illness has made that worse.

As soon as they figured out it was mold making them sick, they had to decide to move out of their house. Knowing this would be a long journey dealing with the house, they opted to purchase a used camper that they have now been living in for the last five months. It has been quite the experience, but they know that being out of the mold environment is essential for their healing. Ashley and Mike have been undergoing IV therapy to help detox the mold from their systems; however, the mold has disrupted so many systems in their body, making this difficult. It has also caused digestive issues in Brooklyn and Nolan that they are working to overcome.

So what about their house? When they purchased the home, they addressed some water issues in the basement right away. There were no other significant issues other than the roof that needed replacing at some point. Unfortunately, it has become evident that mold consumed the entire attic space, hid behind nearly every exterior wall, is now in all the ductwork, and has infested every item inside the house. Not only is the house a total loss, but their doctor also recommended getting rid of nearly all the furniture and as many personal items as possible that cannot be thoroughly washed. These items include bedding, mattresses, couches, paper items, etc.

Contractors on the job have said this is by far one of the worst mold-infested homes they have encountered. There is no way this house could have ever been made into a safe place to live unless they completely took it down. That is where they are at now. The house is getting gutted on the inside, and in about six weeks, the remaining structure will get demolished. They will have to rebuild the entire house from the foundation up. Unfortunately, homeowner's insurance will not cover anything. Throughout the initial stage of demolishing, it was determined that someone knowingly covered up water-damaged wood and tried to patch up parts of the house, so it didn't appear to have any major issues. They also failed to adequately reinsulate the walls, causing even more mold. There is no way to determine who covered up the significant mold issues and who should be responsible for such negligence. When Ashley and Mike had a mold inspection company come out, they determined a few smaller problem areas but never anticipated the mold to be as bad. The mold covered the backsides of the drywall in probably 60-70% of the home.

Going through an experience like this has been challenging. Ashley and Mike have struggled with day-to-day activities, such as working and taking care of their children. Financial stress has also become apparent. Most conventional doctors don't treat mold toxicity, so they have had to see an integrative doctor that doesn't accept insurance. They are also going to have to repurchase all the items the mold destroyed. The cost to rebuild their home has been the most considerable financial burden. They will have to do much of the work on the house themselves because they don't have the funds to pay contractors to do the work.

Although this will be a long road to recovery, helping ease some of the financial burdens would lighten the load a little bit. I am asking for any help you can provide to help them get through this trying time.

Thank you,

Megan Bishop