Our Family's Battle With Toxic Mold
Donation protected
Imagine furnishing your home for the very first time. Because of a truly “silent killer,” the Innocenti family has to start from scratch.
In October 2009, the healthy family of Mark, Tina, Madelyn (8 years old),and Isabel (4 years old) moved into a rental home in a nice neighborhood in Amherst, Ohio. Shortly after moving in, Madelyn started having terrible asthma attacks (more intense than her seasonal asthma), was constantly at the doctor, and endured many mid-night trips to the ER. Isabel, who had no medical problems before moving, also began to get sick constantly. Both girls had constant nosebleeds, severe headaches, flu-like symptoms, terrible sore throats, stomach aches, horrible leg pains, dizziness, ear pain and ringing, coughing, and congestion. Madelyn's asthma had gotten so bad that her doctor prescribed her an oral steroid along with increasing her dosage of the steroid inhaler and breathing treatments.
Constant sickness continued for two years. Tina decided to take Madelyn off of the steroids and started using natural remedies. Slowly but surely, this natural approach was leading to a healthier Madelyn.
Unfortunately, Isabel got worse. She was constantly sick and exhausted, leaving her mother worn down as well from trying to determine the cause and transporting her to the doctor frequently. For the past several years, the doctors’ diagnoses remained the same: sinusitis, rhinitis, asthma, otitis media, and URI. The sore throats were so bad that Isabel could not eat or barely swallow. Rather than work to find a cause for the recurring chronic symptoms, the doctors solely kept prescribing antibiotics and steroids.
Tina took it upon herself to research to help give Isabel relief. After noticing certain foods and drinks would contribute to Isabel’s sickness, the ever-so-caring Tina monitored all intake and removed the culprit foods from her diet.
In October of 2014, symptoms continued to occur more frequently and more severely: constant severe headaches(migraines), dizziness, fatigue, heart palpitations, and severe leg pains that sometimes inhibited Isabel from walking. The combination of symptoms, along with negative results for diabetes and anemia, perplexed the pediatrician, leaving the family still with no answers.
All of the intense symptoms were affecting Isabel in school. Though teachers said she was fine during the school day, Isabel frequently missed class and fun activities with her peers. She was traumatized by a horrible nosebleed that occurred in school, and began to not want to return for fear she would have a repeat incident.
The mystery continued. The strange ailments began including severe pain in her body, frequent and long-lasting nosebleeds, body twitching, chest pain, sensitivity to light (saying she saw “big and small” at night, which frightened her), and continued constant sore throats. Tina began using essential oils to try to help Isabel because the medicines made her so sick.
Tina was relentless in her fight to help her sweet Isabel. Reading and researching constantly, she knew in her heart there was something wrong with her daughter. Tina’s mother knew enough was enough, and went out on a limb and called an Environmental Consultant and told him Isabel's story. Without hesitation, he immediately went to the family’s home to test for mold.
On December 21,2014, the rental home was tested for mold and visible mold was found in a crawlspace and basement that is hard to see by the average person. The tests came back positive for chaetomium (which is as bad or worse that black mold), stachybotrys, cladosporium ,aspergillus, and Penicillium, all caused by water damage in their rental home. There were numerous floods in the basement that the owner was slow to deal with, and that is where the mold started.
The consultant, who is also a mold specialist, advised Mark and Tina to have the HVAC system Hepa cleaned until they could find a new place to live. This house was TOXIC and they were breathing in Mycotoxins (toxins that are produced by mold and are some of the most toxic substances in existence, including tricothecenes and ochratoxins).
Tina immediately started researching this new news and sure enough, it explained all of Isabel’s symptoms, as well as the symptoms Tina and Madelyn had.
Not knowing just how serious mold poisoning was, Tina thought an environmental allergist would help her daughter. Poor Isabel sat for six hours of grueling, 28 painful injections of the molds that were found in the rental home they lived in. She literally got injected every 7 minutes. The doctor prescribed allergy injections to help Isabel's body tolerate the molds. Tina did not feel ok with this, but she was willing to give it a try if it may help. After the third injection, Isabel immediately got a huge, red raised bump on her arm and she could not move it. After crying for hours and not being able to move her arm for days, Tina called the doctor’s office and they said to give her the histamine, which is supposed to counteract the reaction. A week later, Isabel’s arm was finally back to normal and no more injections were given.
Tina started researching again and learned a lot about what mold does to the body and knew she needed to get Isabel tested. She went to her functioning doctor and received some normal, but few very abnormal, results.
Finally, Tina had enough of the guessing game and contacted a very well-known toxicologist. Upon viewing the mold tests of the home and Isabel’s lab results, he told her that Isabel was very sick and needed to be treated ASAP. The toxicologist referred the entire family to Dr. Irene Grant in New York, an infectious disease doctor who deals with people exposed to toxic mold. Since the whole family was berating the same toxins, they all needed tested. On January 26, 2015, Mark, Tina, Madelyn, and Isabel drove all night to New York in a snow storm to see Dr. Grant to hopefully get some answers.
Sure enough, Dr. Grant confirmed Isabel was ill because of the mold exposure, and determined Mark, Tina, and Madelyn were also infected. The entire family was prescribed incredibly expensive anti-fungal medications and had to receive blood tests upon their return to Ohio.
Because he was away from home a lot for work, Mark was not diagnosed as chronically ill, though he does have vitamin deficiencies and a fungal infection.
Tina was diagnosed with aspergillosis tiger, mycotoxicosis, biofilm, chronic fatigue syndrome, stachybotrys antibody/trichothecene, MCS(multiple chemical sensitivity), and molybdenum deficiency.
Madelyn has major vitamin deficiencies, mycotoxicosis (a poisoning associated with exposure to mycotoxins when ingested which then colonize and spread, compromising the immune system), and trichothecenes in her body.
Isabel has aspergillosis (an infection caused by the mold and affects the airways, brain, heart, and kidneys, which can potentially cause lung or whole-body infections), mycotoxicosis, pediatric rickets disease, MCS, chronic fatigue syndrome, molybdenum deficiency, major vitamin deficiencies, and mastoiditis (a bone infection in the back of the skull behind the ears - it has to be treated for a long time, and if left untreated, is fatal). She also has trichothecenes and ochratoxins in her body. Because she was only four when they moved into this rental, her immune system was not fully developed, and her body cannot fight toxins or rid itself of them.
Trichothecenes and ochratoxins are extremely dangerous and should never be in a human or animal body. The ONLY way they get in the body is through ingesting or skin absorbs the mycotoxins.
The Innocentis are buying a home and have to start from scratch. They have to rid of most of their belongings because they are contaminated with mold spores, and if they take them, they will contaminate their new environment. They mycotoxins even get into the coils of the refrigerator, all appliances, anything porous, paper, cardboard, and fabric. Madelyn and Isabel have to throw away all of their things. Toys, books, comforters, posters, wall decorations - basically anything and everything a child would have in their rooms. Tina and Mark have to throw away pictures and art projects saved from all of their children’s years in school that the rest of us will have for many years to come.
Once they move, the struggle will not be over, but they will begin to heal in a clean environment. They will always have health problems and there is NO cure for biotoxin illness. Years later, new illnesses and diseases can show up as well. Knowledge, great doctors, and living the right way will help them deal with this.
The money from this fundraiser will go to a safe living environment with all new appliances, furniture, mattresses, bedding, pillows, air purifiers, clothing, and anything else they cannot take from the contaminated home.
Because of their chronic conditions, many medications and supplements, both exceedingly expensive, are in their near- and long-term futures.
The Innocentis and their loved ones hope people will find it in their hearts to help their family start healing from a truly “silent killer,” mold. These past few years have been very rough, and the family deserves to be healthy and happy. Mark is the only one working, as Tina is home readily-available to take care of Isabel on the many days that she is not able to function and go to school.
Tina has learned so much and has provided this link to educate people on the severity of toxic mold because she does not want anyone to have to go through what they have gone through and are still going through.
Read here for more information on toxic mold exposure:
The Dangers of Toxic Mold Exposure: articles.mercola.com
The family extends a special thank-you to John Pardee (JP Consulting) and Denando Dante (MAD Cleaning) for everything they have done for the Innocenti family. If anyone has even a small suspicion that there may be mold in your home, please contact these two, as they are very knowledgeable, professional, and thorough.
In October 2009, the healthy family of Mark, Tina, Madelyn (8 years old),and Isabel (4 years old) moved into a rental home in a nice neighborhood in Amherst, Ohio. Shortly after moving in, Madelyn started having terrible asthma attacks (more intense than her seasonal asthma), was constantly at the doctor, and endured many mid-night trips to the ER. Isabel, who had no medical problems before moving, also began to get sick constantly. Both girls had constant nosebleeds, severe headaches, flu-like symptoms, terrible sore throats, stomach aches, horrible leg pains, dizziness, ear pain and ringing, coughing, and congestion. Madelyn's asthma had gotten so bad that her doctor prescribed her an oral steroid along with increasing her dosage of the steroid inhaler and breathing treatments.
Constant sickness continued for two years. Tina decided to take Madelyn off of the steroids and started using natural remedies. Slowly but surely, this natural approach was leading to a healthier Madelyn.
Unfortunately, Isabel got worse. She was constantly sick and exhausted, leaving her mother worn down as well from trying to determine the cause and transporting her to the doctor frequently. For the past several years, the doctors’ diagnoses remained the same: sinusitis, rhinitis, asthma, otitis media, and URI. The sore throats were so bad that Isabel could not eat or barely swallow. Rather than work to find a cause for the recurring chronic symptoms, the doctors solely kept prescribing antibiotics and steroids.
Tina took it upon herself to research to help give Isabel relief. After noticing certain foods and drinks would contribute to Isabel’s sickness, the ever-so-caring Tina monitored all intake and removed the culprit foods from her diet.
In October of 2014, symptoms continued to occur more frequently and more severely: constant severe headaches(migraines), dizziness, fatigue, heart palpitations, and severe leg pains that sometimes inhibited Isabel from walking. The combination of symptoms, along with negative results for diabetes and anemia, perplexed the pediatrician, leaving the family still with no answers.
All of the intense symptoms were affecting Isabel in school. Though teachers said she was fine during the school day, Isabel frequently missed class and fun activities with her peers. She was traumatized by a horrible nosebleed that occurred in school, and began to not want to return for fear she would have a repeat incident.
The mystery continued. The strange ailments began including severe pain in her body, frequent and long-lasting nosebleeds, body twitching, chest pain, sensitivity to light (saying she saw “big and small” at night, which frightened her), and continued constant sore throats. Tina began using essential oils to try to help Isabel because the medicines made her so sick.
Tina was relentless in her fight to help her sweet Isabel. Reading and researching constantly, she knew in her heart there was something wrong with her daughter. Tina’s mother knew enough was enough, and went out on a limb and called an Environmental Consultant and told him Isabel's story. Without hesitation, he immediately went to the family’s home to test for mold.
On December 21,2014, the rental home was tested for mold and visible mold was found in a crawlspace and basement that is hard to see by the average person. The tests came back positive for chaetomium (which is as bad or worse that black mold), stachybotrys, cladosporium ,aspergillus, and Penicillium, all caused by water damage in their rental home. There were numerous floods in the basement that the owner was slow to deal with, and that is where the mold started.
The consultant, who is also a mold specialist, advised Mark and Tina to have the HVAC system Hepa cleaned until they could find a new place to live. This house was TOXIC and they were breathing in Mycotoxins (toxins that are produced by mold and are some of the most toxic substances in existence, including tricothecenes and ochratoxins).
Tina immediately started researching this new news and sure enough, it explained all of Isabel’s symptoms, as well as the symptoms Tina and Madelyn had.
Not knowing just how serious mold poisoning was, Tina thought an environmental allergist would help her daughter. Poor Isabel sat for six hours of grueling, 28 painful injections of the molds that were found in the rental home they lived in. She literally got injected every 7 minutes. The doctor prescribed allergy injections to help Isabel's body tolerate the molds. Tina did not feel ok with this, but she was willing to give it a try if it may help. After the third injection, Isabel immediately got a huge, red raised bump on her arm and she could not move it. After crying for hours and not being able to move her arm for days, Tina called the doctor’s office and they said to give her the histamine, which is supposed to counteract the reaction. A week later, Isabel’s arm was finally back to normal and no more injections were given.
Tina started researching again and learned a lot about what mold does to the body and knew she needed to get Isabel tested. She went to her functioning doctor and received some normal, but few very abnormal, results.
Finally, Tina had enough of the guessing game and contacted a very well-known toxicologist. Upon viewing the mold tests of the home and Isabel’s lab results, he told her that Isabel was very sick and needed to be treated ASAP. The toxicologist referred the entire family to Dr. Irene Grant in New York, an infectious disease doctor who deals with people exposed to toxic mold. Since the whole family was berating the same toxins, they all needed tested. On January 26, 2015, Mark, Tina, Madelyn, and Isabel drove all night to New York in a snow storm to see Dr. Grant to hopefully get some answers.
Sure enough, Dr. Grant confirmed Isabel was ill because of the mold exposure, and determined Mark, Tina, and Madelyn were also infected. The entire family was prescribed incredibly expensive anti-fungal medications and had to receive blood tests upon their return to Ohio.
Because he was away from home a lot for work, Mark was not diagnosed as chronically ill, though he does have vitamin deficiencies and a fungal infection.
Tina was diagnosed with aspergillosis tiger, mycotoxicosis, biofilm, chronic fatigue syndrome, stachybotrys antibody/trichothecene, MCS(multiple chemical sensitivity), and molybdenum deficiency.
Madelyn has major vitamin deficiencies, mycotoxicosis (a poisoning associated with exposure to mycotoxins when ingested which then colonize and spread, compromising the immune system), and trichothecenes in her body.
Isabel has aspergillosis (an infection caused by the mold and affects the airways, brain, heart, and kidneys, which can potentially cause lung or whole-body infections), mycotoxicosis, pediatric rickets disease, MCS, chronic fatigue syndrome, molybdenum deficiency, major vitamin deficiencies, and mastoiditis (a bone infection in the back of the skull behind the ears - it has to be treated for a long time, and if left untreated, is fatal). She also has trichothecenes and ochratoxins in her body. Because she was only four when they moved into this rental, her immune system was not fully developed, and her body cannot fight toxins or rid itself of them.
Trichothecenes and ochratoxins are extremely dangerous and should never be in a human or animal body. The ONLY way they get in the body is through ingesting or skin absorbs the mycotoxins.
The Innocentis are buying a home and have to start from scratch. They have to rid of most of their belongings because they are contaminated with mold spores, and if they take them, they will contaminate their new environment. They mycotoxins even get into the coils of the refrigerator, all appliances, anything porous, paper, cardboard, and fabric. Madelyn and Isabel have to throw away all of their things. Toys, books, comforters, posters, wall decorations - basically anything and everything a child would have in their rooms. Tina and Mark have to throw away pictures and art projects saved from all of their children’s years in school that the rest of us will have for many years to come.
Once they move, the struggle will not be over, but they will begin to heal in a clean environment. They will always have health problems and there is NO cure for biotoxin illness. Years later, new illnesses and diseases can show up as well. Knowledge, great doctors, and living the right way will help them deal with this.
The money from this fundraiser will go to a safe living environment with all new appliances, furniture, mattresses, bedding, pillows, air purifiers, clothing, and anything else they cannot take from the contaminated home.
Because of their chronic conditions, many medications and supplements, both exceedingly expensive, are in their near- and long-term futures.
The Innocentis and their loved ones hope people will find it in their hearts to help their family start healing from a truly “silent killer,” mold. These past few years have been very rough, and the family deserves to be healthy and happy. Mark is the only one working, as Tina is home readily-available to take care of Isabel on the many days that she is not able to function and go to school.
Tina has learned so much and has provided this link to educate people on the severity of toxic mold because she does not want anyone to have to go through what they have gone through and are still going through.
Read here for more information on toxic mold exposure:
The Dangers of Toxic Mold Exposure: articles.mercola.com
The family extends a special thank-you to John Pardee (JP Consulting) and Denando Dante (MAD Cleaning) for everything they have done for the Innocenti family. If anyone has even a small suspicion that there may be mold in your home, please contact these two, as they are very knowledgeable, professional, and thorough.
Organizer
Jason Shaffer
Organizer
Amherst, OH