George Knight

In 2021, my life changed overnight when I was diagnosed with brain cancer. Before that, I was working hard and providing for my family, earning about $75,000 a year. Since my diagnosis, I’ve been forced onto disability, and our income dropped to around $35,000 a year. We’ve been doing everything we can just to get by. Then, our family faced an unimaginable loss. Our oldest daughter passed away in our home. The pain of that loss was something we couldn’t live with every day, so we made the difficult decision to move and try to start over somewhere new. We found a home we believed would give us that fresh start. We were encouraged to sign an “as-is” agreement, trusting it would be okay. Unfortunately, that decision led to more hardship. The house had serious hidden issues. Over time, we discovered extensive damage and were forced to make major repairs we simply couldn’t afford on a fixed income. We had to replace cabinets that were completely rotted out, replace the kitchen floor, fix a chimney that was leaking water every time it rained, replace the entire electrical panel because it was outdated and not up to code, and remodel the main bathroom due to a hidden leak. We originally discovered the electrical panel issue after losing power to half of the house. A professional electrician inspected it and confirmed the panel was outdated and not up to code, creating both safety concerns and further complications for our home. We still faced even more repairs—about 50 feet of upstairs flooring, floor joists, and approximately 40 feet of downstairs ceiling needed replacement. All the windows were old, leaking, and contributed to mold growth, as well as extremely high utility bills due to poor insulation and inefficiency. Now, there are visible discolorations in the ceilings where paint is bubbling and peeling. In 2024, our family also suffered another devastating loss—we lost our son Zachariah at 20 weeks pregnant due to health complications that were connected to the mold exposure in the home. Over time, our family’s health has been affected as well. We’ve dealt with ongoing rashes, headaches, bloody noses, respiratory infections, and constant coughing and congestion. Despite multiple doctor visits, we were often told nothing was wrong, even though we knew something was. Eventually, we fell behind and our home went into foreclosure. We made several attempts to work with the mortgage company to adjust our payments, but nothing offered was something we could realistically afford. We also attempted a short sale, but the process did not move forward in time. With no other options, and unable to see my family suffer another day, I packed up my family and took a leap of faith to find a safe place for us to live. The first home we checked out had been flooded due to a burst pipe and had been sitting for some time before anyone realized it. When my family walked in, they immediately had reactions and knew something wasn’t right. We then went to stay with family temporarily, but due to our family’s heightened sensitivities, that environment also did not work for us. Again, my family experienced reactions due to environmental triggers. Now, we are staying with family temporarily, but we’ve run out of time, money, and options. Our belongings are split between locations, including a packed U-Haul and storage, and we’ve been given only days to return and clear out what’s left of our home before it goes to auction. Because of the extensive mold contamination, we are losing almost everything we own. Mold has affected many of our belongings, and we are only able to keep items that are sentimental or that have non-porous surfaces that can be properly cleaned. We are trying to raise funds to help our family move forward safely and rebuild stability. The funds will help us: Transport our remaining belongings Secure a U-Haul and cover travel expenses Pay for first month’s rent and a deposit on a new home Cover professional mold testing before signing a lease (approximately $600 per test) to ensure the next home is safe for our family Store and preserve what belongings we are able to keep This has been one of the hardest chapters of our lives—facing cancer, losing our children, ongoing health struggles, and now losing our home. We are doing everything we can to keep our family together, safe, and moving forward, but we cannot do it alone. Any support—whether through a donation or by sharing our story—means more than we can express. Thank you for taking the time to read and for helping our family find a safe place to start over.