Johnson Family Mold Illness&Home
Donation protected
As parents, our hearts have always been for the safety, health and protection of our precious children. Our story began 3 1/2 years ago. Our son started having some health issues that were concerning, and have gotten progressively worse with each passing year. At first it was small things like unexpected coughing sprees, wetting his bed at night, which had never happened until we moved into this home. However, more recently, he started developing uncontrollable tics, such as rolling his eyes, clearing his throat constantly, nose twitching, little stutters in his speech, anxiety, and having trouble focusing.
We started to meet with doctors to try and find out what might be causing the problems. Through this process they diagnosed him with PANS and PANDAS, which are infection-induced autoimmune conditions that disrupt a patient’s normal neurological functioning, resulting in a sudden onset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and/or motor tics. PANS and PANDAS can include a variety of other symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, hyperactivity, sleep disturbances, mood swings and urinary problems. In addition to these conditions, we discovered that he had mold showing up at the cellular level in his sweet little body. When we learned about the mycotoxins, we had to consider that something might be happening inside of our home. This could explain the root of his PANS, and his coughing fits. Tonight, before finishing this, he looked at me and , said, "mommy, I believe the oils you put on me will help my lungs so I can breathe better." Listening to him say this was heartbreaking because even though I am doing my best for his path of treatment, I often think to myself, "is what I am doing enough, and is it right? Will he ever get rid of all of these co-infections inside of him, and be healthy?" Also, during this time, our daughter began getting rashes on her legs that changed the pigment of her skin. The thought of my other child going down the same road is something I just cannot fathom. We too have developed a cough over the last few months, and we haven't had a chance to go to the doctor and see if the mold is in our bodies too, but fear this is the case based on what has happened to our children already.
When we discovered the mold in our home, it was in my son's room in the sub-floor. Mushrooms were growing out of it, and when we took the section of sub-floor out, we found mold on the structural wood under the sub-floor, leading all the way into the bathroom where we saw more of the same. We decided to call a mold inspection company to search the entire house and we found more in the wall of our dining room, the closet in our bedroom, and some in the kitchen. They found multiple sources of moisture that were undetectable to the naked eye, and we have worked to get all of those things repaired.
This weekend we got the estimate from the remediation company and it is going to cost over $15,000 to remove all of the mold and purify the HVAC system, and try to get all of the mycotoxins out of our home. Depending on how severe the levels are, we might also have to replace our furniture, as this type of mold can manifest itself in the fibers of the fabric and the wood. Once we have removed all of the mold, we will have to look for a restoration company to come and rebuild the sheet rock, repair the flooring and repaint everything as that is not taken care of as part of the remediation company's cost.
I reached out to our insurance company and they said that they do not cover anything mold related, so we are completely on our own. It's very frustrating to pay high insurance premiums only to have them deny you in your moment of need. We have been in the home for 3 1/2 years. It was a foreclosure owned by Bank of America, but it passed inspection before we moved in. All of these health issues have occurred since we have been in the home. Everyone was completely healthy prior to moving in, and it breaks our hearts that the place in which our children are growing up is causing such damage to their bodies. We don't know if we should stay in the home or sell it and start fresh. We love our home and they love their friends. It is insane how mold can turn the direction of one's life around in such a drastic manner. Either way, the mold has to be removed.
We started to meet with doctors to try and find out what might be causing the problems. Through this process they diagnosed him with PANS and PANDAS, which are infection-induced autoimmune conditions that disrupt a patient’s normal neurological functioning, resulting in a sudden onset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and/or motor tics. PANS and PANDAS can include a variety of other symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, hyperactivity, sleep disturbances, mood swings and urinary problems. In addition to these conditions, we discovered that he had mold showing up at the cellular level in his sweet little body. When we learned about the mycotoxins, we had to consider that something might be happening inside of our home. This could explain the root of his PANS, and his coughing fits. Tonight, before finishing this, he looked at me and , said, "mommy, I believe the oils you put on me will help my lungs so I can breathe better." Listening to him say this was heartbreaking because even though I am doing my best for his path of treatment, I often think to myself, "is what I am doing enough, and is it right? Will he ever get rid of all of these co-infections inside of him, and be healthy?" Also, during this time, our daughter began getting rashes on her legs that changed the pigment of her skin. The thought of my other child going down the same road is something I just cannot fathom. We too have developed a cough over the last few months, and we haven't had a chance to go to the doctor and see if the mold is in our bodies too, but fear this is the case based on what has happened to our children already.
When we discovered the mold in our home, it was in my son's room in the sub-floor. Mushrooms were growing out of it, and when we took the section of sub-floor out, we found mold on the structural wood under the sub-floor, leading all the way into the bathroom where we saw more of the same. We decided to call a mold inspection company to search the entire house and we found more in the wall of our dining room, the closet in our bedroom, and some in the kitchen. They found multiple sources of moisture that were undetectable to the naked eye, and we have worked to get all of those things repaired.
This weekend we got the estimate from the remediation company and it is going to cost over $15,000 to remove all of the mold and purify the HVAC system, and try to get all of the mycotoxins out of our home. Depending on how severe the levels are, we might also have to replace our furniture, as this type of mold can manifest itself in the fibers of the fabric and the wood. Once we have removed all of the mold, we will have to look for a restoration company to come and rebuild the sheet rock, repair the flooring and repaint everything as that is not taken care of as part of the remediation company's cost.
I reached out to our insurance company and they said that they do not cover anything mold related, so we are completely on our own. It's very frustrating to pay high insurance premiums only to have them deny you in your moment of need. We have been in the home for 3 1/2 years. It was a foreclosure owned by Bank of America, but it passed inspection before we moved in. All of these health issues have occurred since we have been in the home. Everyone was completely healthy prior to moving in, and it breaks our hearts that the place in which our children are growing up is causing such damage to their bodies. We don't know if we should stay in the home or sell it and start fresh. We love our home and they love their friends. It is insane how mold can turn the direction of one's life around in such a drastic manner. Either way, the mold has to be removed.
Any funds raised will go to help with the medical bills and remediation of the home. But even if we don't raise a single dollar, we hope that our story will raise awareness of the health risks associated with undetected mold in homes, as well as autoimmunity, PANS and PANDAS.
If you are looking to buy a home, we believe that it is worth the $700 dollars to have a mold inspection/air quality and dust sampling check done in the home before you make a final decision. It can be devastating to your health and your finances if something like what happened to us were to happen to anyone else. Please be careful, take precautions and protect your family. Our heart is to help anyone who might be going through a similar situation. You are welcome to reach out and we can share additional details in the hopes that what we have learned might be able to help others.
Thank you
Joshua and Lindsay Johnson
If you are looking to buy a home, we believe that it is worth the $700 dollars to have a mold inspection/air quality and dust sampling check done in the home before you make a final decision. It can be devastating to your health and your finances if something like what happened to us were to happen to anyone else. Please be careful, take precautions and protect your family. Our heart is to help anyone who might be going through a similar situation. You are welcome to reach out and we can share additional details in the hopes that what we have learned might be able to help others.
Thank you
Joshua and Lindsay Johnson
Organizer
Joshua Johnson
Organizer
Keller, TX
