- G
- L
- K
When you find no solution to a problem, it’s probably not a problem to be solved, but rather a truth to be accepted.
Since 2017, Mike has been battling Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), a rare, and hard to diagnose, autoimmune disease that has made him extremely allergic to mold and mildew. Though he is most allergic to mold, his body is now struggling to cleanse other toxins such as car exhaust, makeup, and dust. Mike had a genetic susceptibility to toxic mold illness, which was triggered by high exposure to mold in his work and home environment. The genetic susceptibility means his body is unable to cleanse itself, resulting in biotoxins circulating the body indefinitely and causing inflammation throughout the entire body. This is further complicated by a coinfection of Lyme Disease and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a neurological disorder that targets his body’s nerves. This has led to weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms, emotional instability, anxiety, and depressive thoughts. This has resulted in a medical conundrum that doctors are struggling to solve. If Mike is unable to reduce the inflammation and release some of the toxins in his body, he could potentially find himself forced to live outdoors for the rest of his life. He is currently only able to breathe normally in the sun.
On top of this all, Michael and his wife, Leanne, have two young kids. Their youngest son, Quentin, suffers from isodicentric chromosome 15 syndrome, a rare chromosomal abnormality that affects many parts of the body. Individuals with this condition have an extra chromosome 15 and suffer from poor muscle tone as newborns, developmental delays, mild to severe intellectual disability, delayed or absent speech, behavioral abnormalities, and seizures. This condition occurred sporadically in Quentin, as neither Mike nor Leanne have a family history of it. Given the rarity of this disorder, very little medical and scientific knowledge exists.
Leanne must now return to the house and prepare it for sale, all while taking care of her two kids. In the meantime, Mike must find a place to stay that reduces the symptoms and allows his body to try and stabilize.
Given the complexity of Mike's illness and the rarity of Quentin's condition, insurance has not covered a lot, creating a very difficult financial predicament for the family.
Your donation would help cover the following:
Supplements for Mike’s treatment including:
- Cholestyramine (CSM), a non-absorbable polymer resin that attracts and binds negatively charged biotoxins that helps remove them
- Bactroban / EDTA / Gentamicin (BEG) Nasal Spray to eliminate MARCoNS, which is an antibiotic-resistant staph that destroys red blood cells and raises cytokine levels
- Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) to stabilize the aromatase enzyme
- Desmopressin (DDAVP), a synthetic form of ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) that helps correct water loss and dehydration for patients with biotoxin illness
- Losartan to decrease the risk of autoimmune response and illness
- GVS SPR457 Elipse P100 Dust Half Mask Respirator with replaceable and reusable filters included
- High quality protective medical goggles
- Antibiotics for Lyme infection
- High dose cholesterol medication (Zocor 80 mg)
- CoQ10 supplement
- Doctor's appointments
- Continuation of IVIG Treatment
Quentin:
- Doctors for Quentin including a developmental pediatrician, a genetic doctor, and a neurologist
- Music therapy for Quentin
- Swim instruction for Quentin to aid in muscle development
Housing:
- Suitable housing for Mike
- Fixing mold generation problem in the house from original construction
Michael Puglia is the definition of a people’s person: as an open, caring, empathetic, and fun human, he has a unique ability to connect with those around him. For over 20 years, Mike has worked as an outdoor educator, teaching young kids about natural environments, how to survive and thrive in the wilderness, and how to work together through challenges as a team. He has also influenced the lives of many working as a summer camp counselor for over 15 years in the Poconos.
Full Story
Academic Year 2017-2018
Mike began feeling ill and weak. Having spent years conducting deep woods activities, doctors decided to test him for Lyme Disease using a Western blot test. According to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), these tests are not always reliable. They are indirect tests that measure an antibody’s response to the infection rather than the infection itself. Lyme disease specialists and scientists believe there are five specific bands on the Western blot test indicative of Lyme. According to the CDC, all of the five bands must be positive for an overall positive. However, if a patient is experiencing Lyme symptoms and any of these bands are positive, then treatment is warranted. When Mike was tested, he had three bands, but none of them were the Lyme’s lines. Nonetheless, he was repeatedly treated for Lyme and began seeing a chiropractor.
Academic Year 2018-2019
At the end of summer 2017, still feeling weak, Mike walked into an office that had been turned into a computer storage room at his school. When he opened the door, the computers were covered in mold. Due to the ventilation system in the room and the room next door, the whole place was essentially a petri dish, and Mike had been the first to walk in on it.
After this incident, the chiropractor noticed hip inflammation, which was confirmed by an MRI. Furthermore, his toes began feeling tingly, and he developed cellulitis on his left hand and arm. At that point, Mike was referred to a doctor in an Integrative Health Clinic. The first blood tests revealed abnormally high hemoglobin levels, and Mike found himself becoming increasingly allergic to mold. He was diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a rare type of autoimmune disorder. In an autoimmune disease, the body attacks its own tissues. CIDP, specifically, is a neurological disorder that targets your body’s nerves. It is characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms.
Mike returned to school as a teacher but continued suffering from constant pain, foggy brain, anxiety, and lack of emotional control. He started taking sick days more frequently, but never really felt well again. That year Mike began sauna treatment. In 2019, Mike also started intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment every three weeks with a nurse visiting his home.
January 2020 – Present Day
In January, Mike went to a neuropathy seminar and was evaluated for mold toxin indicators. His test results came back positive.
Toxic mold illness is not officially a medical diagnosis despite being identified in litigation as a cause of human illness. Keep in mind, mold toxins range from mildly toxic to extremely potent (they can be used for biological warfare…). Mold toxins suppress the immune system, damage and kill cells, cause cancer and birth defects, impair mitochondrial function, and the nervous system. The CDC recognizes chronic diseases, which are broadly defined as conditions that last 1 year or more, require ongoing medical attention, and /or limit activities of daily living. Nonetheless, toxic mold illness, which can quickly turn into a chronic disease, is not recognized by the CDC. Thus, a lot of the treatment is considered a ‘taboo’ and not covered by insurance.
A lot of the knowledge surrounding toxic mold illness is the result of practice-based studies carried out by physician and researcher, Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker starting in 1997. Over time he has developed a thorough description of this illness and has called it Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Through his practice-based research, he has developed methods to diagnose and treat the illness.
CIRS is a biotoxin illness primarily caused by mycotoxins, which are poisons produced by mold. This problem typically occurs when the mold is present indoors, and the toxins accumulate in our air and belongings. It is estimated that over 50% of buildings in the USA have some water damage, which encourages mold growth, and people often do not realize the amount of hidden mold in our surroundings. Genetics can increase someone’s susceptibility to toxicity. For many people, biotoxins are recognized by the immune system correctly, and thus, broken down and removed from the body. However, genetically susceptible individuals have immune systems that do not recognize the biotoxins and thus, fail to remove them. Tick bites are also considered a route of exposure to biotoxins. This was when everything started to fall into place:
1. Recently, Mike found out that the house they had purchased raised some health concerns. Even though all homes have mildew and mold, their crawlspace is loaded with it. Despite purchasing a new house, the builder didn’t do the most professional of jobs, so there has been mold crawling into the air conditioning system as the crawl space was not properly sealed.
2. Mike was inundated by toxins when opening that computer room at the end of summer 2018. In retrospect, this is most likely triggered by the CIRS gene.
3. Mike most likely had Lyme’s disease back in 2016/2017, increasing his exposure to biotoxins. Top Lyme doctors argue that whenever people have both a mold illness and Lyme, it can be challenging to treat the latter unless the mold toxins are addressed first.
4. Mike was identified as being genetically susceptible to CIRS, which means that the biotoxins cause a lasting chronic illness.
Mike’s genetic susceptibility results in biotoxins circulating the body indefinitely, which causes inflammation throughout the entire body. Inflammation causes multiple symptoms across different body systems, which often leads to misdiagnosis. This is most likely what triggered the CIDP in 2018. The coinfection of Lyme and CIDP paired with Mike’s genetic susceptibility to mold toxicity has resulted in a medical conundrum that doctors are struggling to solve. Though mold is his chief enemy, his body is now struggling to cleanse other toxins such as car exhaust, makeup, and dust. Furthermore, in the face of Covid-19, Mike is unable to enter any store or restaurant due to both the mold that has been accumulating, as well as due to the copious amounts of cleaners and other toxic products being used.
In March 2020, Mike started the Shoemaker Protocol in attempts to reduce the inflammation in his body. Because none of this is covered by insurance, he had to purchase the following out-of-pocket: two air oasis machines which go everywhere with him so that he can have clean air; an ozone generator to clean car interiors and the house; an ozone machine for insufflation of the ears and other body parts; and other home treatments that are a part of the Shoemaker Protocol.
On top of this all, Michael and his wife, Leanne, have young two kids. Their youngest son, Quentin, suffers from isodicentric chromosome 15 syndrome, a rare chromosomal abnormality that affects many parts of the body. Individuals with this condition have an extra chromosome 15 and suffer from poor muscle tone as newborns, developmental delays, mild to severe intellectual disability, delayed or absent speech, behavioral abnormalities, and seizures. This condition occurred sporadically in Quentin, as neither Mike nor Leanne have a family history of it. Given the rarity of this disorder, very little medical and scientific knowledge exists.
By the end of 2020, Mike will have used up all of his sick leave (both the school's sick leave as well as the union's sick leave). Currently, Mike is unable to return to his own home. The family will have to get rid of anything porous because mycotoxins are in everything. Clothing, mattresses, books, papers, canvas artwork, carpets, sofas, pillows, stuffed animals, kitchen table, etc., all have to go unless they can be treated with ozone, but due to the mold in the house, that will likely not work.
Since 2017, Mike has been battling Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), a rare, and hard to diagnose, autoimmune disease that has made him extremely allergic to mold and mildew. Though he is most allergic to mold, his body is now struggling to cleanse other toxins such as car exhaust, makeup, and dust. Mike had a genetic susceptibility to toxic mold illness, which was triggered by high exposure to mold in his work and home environment. The genetic susceptibility means his body is unable to cleanse itself, resulting in biotoxins circulating the body indefinitely and causing inflammation throughout the entire body. This is further complicated by a coinfection of Lyme Disease and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a neurological disorder that targets his body’s nerves. This has led to weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms, emotional instability, anxiety, and depressive thoughts. This has resulted in a medical conundrum that doctors are struggling to solve. If Mike is unable to reduce the inflammation and release some of the toxins in his body, he could potentially find himself forced to live outdoors for the rest of his life. He is currently only able to breathe normally in the sun.
On top of this all, Michael and his wife, Leanne, have two young kids. Their youngest son, Quentin, suffers from isodicentric chromosome 15 syndrome, a rare chromosomal abnormality that affects many parts of the body. Individuals with this condition have an extra chromosome 15 and suffer from poor muscle tone as newborns, developmental delays, mild to severe intellectual disability, delayed or absent speech, behavioral abnormalities, and seizures. This condition occurred sporadically in Quentin, as neither Mike nor Leanne have a family history of it. Given the rarity of this disorder, very little medical and scientific knowledge exists.
Leanne must now return to the house and prepare it for sale, all while taking care of her two kids. In the meantime, Mike must find a place to stay that reduces the symptoms and allows his body to try and stabilize.
Given the complexity of Mike's illness and the rarity of Quentin's condition, insurance has not covered a lot, creating a very difficult financial predicament for the family.
Your donation would help cover the following:
Supplements for Mike’s treatment including:
- Cholestyramine (CSM), a non-absorbable polymer resin that attracts and binds negatively charged biotoxins that helps remove them
- Bactroban / EDTA / Gentamicin (BEG) Nasal Spray to eliminate MARCoNS, which is an antibiotic-resistant staph that destroys red blood cells and raises cytokine levels
- Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) to stabilize the aromatase enzyme
- Desmopressin (DDAVP), a synthetic form of ADH (anti-diuretic hormone) that helps correct water loss and dehydration for patients with biotoxin illness
- Losartan to decrease the risk of autoimmune response and illness
- GVS SPR457 Elipse P100 Dust Half Mask Respirator with replaceable and reusable filters included
- High quality protective medical goggles
- Antibiotics for Lyme infection
- High dose cholesterol medication (Zocor 80 mg)
- CoQ10 supplement
- Doctor's appointments
- Continuation of IVIG Treatment
Quentin:
- Doctors for Quentin including a developmental pediatrician, a genetic doctor, and a neurologist
- Music therapy for Quentin
- Swim instruction for Quentin to aid in muscle development
Housing:
- Suitable housing for Mike
- Fixing mold generation problem in the house from original construction
Michael Puglia is the definition of a people’s person: as an open, caring, empathetic, and fun human, he has a unique ability to connect with those around him. For over 20 years, Mike has worked as an outdoor educator, teaching young kids about natural environments, how to survive and thrive in the wilderness, and how to work together through challenges as a team. He has also influenced the lives of many working as a summer camp counselor for over 15 years in the Poconos.
Full Story
Academic Year 2017-2018
Mike began feeling ill and weak. Having spent years conducting deep woods activities, doctors decided to test him for Lyme Disease using a Western blot test. According to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), these tests are not always reliable. They are indirect tests that measure an antibody’s response to the infection rather than the infection itself. Lyme disease specialists and scientists believe there are five specific bands on the Western blot test indicative of Lyme. According to the CDC, all of the five bands must be positive for an overall positive. However, if a patient is experiencing Lyme symptoms and any of these bands are positive, then treatment is warranted. When Mike was tested, he had three bands, but none of them were the Lyme’s lines. Nonetheless, he was repeatedly treated for Lyme and began seeing a chiropractor.
Academic Year 2018-2019
At the end of summer 2017, still feeling weak, Mike walked into an office that had been turned into a computer storage room at his school. When he opened the door, the computers were covered in mold. Due to the ventilation system in the room and the room next door, the whole place was essentially a petri dish, and Mike had been the first to walk in on it.
After this incident, the chiropractor noticed hip inflammation, which was confirmed by an MRI. Furthermore, his toes began feeling tingly, and he developed cellulitis on his left hand and arm. At that point, Mike was referred to a doctor in an Integrative Health Clinic. The first blood tests revealed abnormally high hemoglobin levels, and Mike found himself becoming increasingly allergic to mold. He was diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a rare type of autoimmune disorder. In an autoimmune disease, the body attacks its own tissues. CIDP, specifically, is a neurological disorder that targets your body’s nerves. It is characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms.
Mike returned to school as a teacher but continued suffering from constant pain, foggy brain, anxiety, and lack of emotional control. He started taking sick days more frequently, but never really felt well again. That year Mike began sauna treatment. In 2019, Mike also started intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment every three weeks with a nurse visiting his home.
January 2020 – Present Day
In January, Mike went to a neuropathy seminar and was evaluated for mold toxin indicators. His test results came back positive.
Toxic mold illness is not officially a medical diagnosis despite being identified in litigation as a cause of human illness. Keep in mind, mold toxins range from mildly toxic to extremely potent (they can be used for biological warfare…). Mold toxins suppress the immune system, damage and kill cells, cause cancer and birth defects, impair mitochondrial function, and the nervous system. The CDC recognizes chronic diseases, which are broadly defined as conditions that last 1 year or more, require ongoing medical attention, and /or limit activities of daily living. Nonetheless, toxic mold illness, which can quickly turn into a chronic disease, is not recognized by the CDC. Thus, a lot of the treatment is considered a ‘taboo’ and not covered by insurance.
A lot of the knowledge surrounding toxic mold illness is the result of practice-based studies carried out by physician and researcher, Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker starting in 1997. Over time he has developed a thorough description of this illness and has called it Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). Through his practice-based research, he has developed methods to diagnose and treat the illness.
CIRS is a biotoxin illness primarily caused by mycotoxins, which are poisons produced by mold. This problem typically occurs when the mold is present indoors, and the toxins accumulate in our air and belongings. It is estimated that over 50% of buildings in the USA have some water damage, which encourages mold growth, and people often do not realize the amount of hidden mold in our surroundings. Genetics can increase someone’s susceptibility to toxicity. For many people, biotoxins are recognized by the immune system correctly, and thus, broken down and removed from the body. However, genetically susceptible individuals have immune systems that do not recognize the biotoxins and thus, fail to remove them. Tick bites are also considered a route of exposure to biotoxins. This was when everything started to fall into place:
1. Recently, Mike found out that the house they had purchased raised some health concerns. Even though all homes have mildew and mold, their crawlspace is loaded with it. Despite purchasing a new house, the builder didn’t do the most professional of jobs, so there has been mold crawling into the air conditioning system as the crawl space was not properly sealed.
2. Mike was inundated by toxins when opening that computer room at the end of summer 2018. In retrospect, this is most likely triggered by the CIRS gene.
3. Mike most likely had Lyme’s disease back in 2016/2017, increasing his exposure to biotoxins. Top Lyme doctors argue that whenever people have both a mold illness and Lyme, it can be challenging to treat the latter unless the mold toxins are addressed first.
4. Mike was identified as being genetically susceptible to CIRS, which means that the biotoxins cause a lasting chronic illness.
Mike’s genetic susceptibility results in biotoxins circulating the body indefinitely, which causes inflammation throughout the entire body. Inflammation causes multiple symptoms across different body systems, which often leads to misdiagnosis. This is most likely what triggered the CIDP in 2018. The coinfection of Lyme and CIDP paired with Mike’s genetic susceptibility to mold toxicity has resulted in a medical conundrum that doctors are struggling to solve. Though mold is his chief enemy, his body is now struggling to cleanse other toxins such as car exhaust, makeup, and dust. Furthermore, in the face of Covid-19, Mike is unable to enter any store or restaurant due to both the mold that has been accumulating, as well as due to the copious amounts of cleaners and other toxic products being used.
In March 2020, Mike started the Shoemaker Protocol in attempts to reduce the inflammation in his body. Because none of this is covered by insurance, he had to purchase the following out-of-pocket: two air oasis machines which go everywhere with him so that he can have clean air; an ozone generator to clean car interiors and the house; an ozone machine for insufflation of the ears and other body parts; and other home treatments that are a part of the Shoemaker Protocol.
On top of this all, Michael and his wife, Leanne, have young two kids. Their youngest son, Quentin, suffers from isodicentric chromosome 15 syndrome, a rare chromosomal abnormality that affects many parts of the body. Individuals with this condition have an extra chromosome 15 and suffer from poor muscle tone as newborns, developmental delays, mild to severe intellectual disability, delayed or absent speech, behavioral abnormalities, and seizures. This condition occurred sporadically in Quentin, as neither Mike nor Leanne have a family history of it. Given the rarity of this disorder, very little medical and scientific knowledge exists.
By the end of 2020, Mike will have used up all of his sick leave (both the school's sick leave as well as the union's sick leave). Currently, Mike is unable to return to his own home. The family will have to get rid of anything porous because mycotoxins are in everything. Clothing, mattresses, books, papers, canvas artwork, carpets, sofas, pillows, stuffed animals, kitchen table, etc., all have to go unless they can be treated with ozone, but due to the mold in the house, that will likely not work.