A Difficult Season, a Need for Help, and Holding on to Faith 🤍
Life has been a whirlwind for our family, and honestly, this has been one of the hardest seasons we’ve walked through. Through the tears, uncertainty, and countless unanswered questions, God has continued to remind us of His love, mercy, and grace. We’re learning to take things one day at a time and trust Him, even when we can’t see what the road ahead looks like.
As some of our friends and family know, we discovered mold in our home. What made this especially unexpected was that our home was a smaller, newly built house. We trusted that it had been built properly and would be a safe place to raise our boys. We never imagined that the home we had planned our future around would become the source of so much hardship.
With mold found in the HVAC system and the possibility that mold may also be present in other areas of the home, we’re left trying to determine the full extent of the problem and what it means for our family’s health and safety. We had hoped the builder would take more responsibility, but we’ve found ourselves trying to figure out so much of this on our own.
While living in the home, our family seemed to be dealing with one health issue after another. We were getting sick repeatedly, sometimes multiple times a month, and it often felt like we couldn’t fully recover before something else happened. We experienced neurological issues, brain fog, chronic fatigue, respiratory problems that led to multiple hospital visits, nausea, chronic gastrointestinal issues, food intolerances, and more. We also noticed concerning changes in our children.
One of the hardest things has been watching our three-year-old struggle and go in and out of the hospital. As a parent, there is nothing harder than seeing your child unwell and wishing you could take it all away. My wife was also chronically sick while we were living in the home, and watching her go through this has been incredibly difficult.
There have been countless doctor’s appointments, hospital visits, tests, and attempts to find answers. My wife has been diagnosed with Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). CIRS can involve symptoms affecting multiple body systems, including severe fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and respiratory complaints. SIBO can contribute to digestive issues and difficulty tolerating most foods.
As we’ve tried to understand her health challenges, we’ve become deeply concerned about the role our home environment has played in all of this. Clinicians associate CIRS with exposure to mold in water-damaged buildings, while SIBO can develop for a variety of reasons. We’re continuing to work with medical providers to determine the best treatment moving forward.
Even after leaving the home, recovery has not been immediate. My wife continues to struggle with symptoms and needs ongoing medical care for both conditions. It’s difficult watching someone you love suffer while trying to balance being a husband, a dad, and the person helping hold everything together.
Eventually, we reached a point where we could no longer remain in our home. Mold was found in one area, and concerns remain that other areas may also be affected, particularly because of the HVAC system.
We’ve hired multiple companies to investigate the mold and perform inspections to help us understand the extent of the problem. These investigations, along with the growing medical expenses, have been incredibly costly. We reached a point where we simply could not afford full remediation or to continue further demolition and investigations into the remaining areas of the home. We wanted to find a way to make our home safe again, but the financial burden became overwhelming. We were left with unanswered questions and the heartbreaking reality that we could no longer afford to keep pursuing the investigation while also paying for our family’s medical care.
Ultimately, we had to leave our home and the majority of our belongings behind. Because of the mold concerns involving the HVAC system and the possibility of contamination elsewhere, we have to leave behind and loose approximately 80–90% of our belongings, including mattresses, furniture, and other household necessities.
Honestly, it’s not the things themselves that hurt the most. It’s the memories attached to them and the little pieces of our family’s story. It’s the thought of leaving behind the place where we brought our boys, watched them grow, and imagined making so many more memories together. We know a home is about much more than what’s inside it, but it’s heartbreaking to walk away from a place filled with so much of our family’s life and face starting over.
Since leaving, we’ve spent time in hotels and are now staying with friends while trying to figure out what comes next. We’re working toward finding a safe, stable place to rent for now and eventually hope to buy a home in the future. In the meantime, we’re trying to keep life as normal as possible for our boys through so much uncertainty and change.
We cannot put into words how thankful we are for the friends and family who have opened their homes and hearts to us. They’ve given us more than a place to stay; they’ve given us comfort, support, and one less thing to worry about during a time when so much feels overwhelming. To everyone who has welcomed us in, checked on us, prayed for us, and helped us navigate the unknown, thank you. We truly don’t know how we would be getting through this season without your love and generosity.
That’s why we’re sharing this fundraiser. 🤍
This is not an easy thing for us to ask, but we’ve reached a point where we know we cannot navigate all of this alone. There are still significant medical expenses ahead, and we need help as we work to get our family the care and stability we need.
Our family needs to travel out of state to meet with another doctor and begin a treatment plan that includes prescription binders for all of us. This means additional costs for travel, appointments, prescriptions, and ongoing medical care. My wife also needs continued medical support as she navigates her CIRS diagnosis while receiving treatment for SIBO. Between specialists, testing, treatment, and out-of-pocket medical expenses, the costs continue to add up.
We’re also facing the financial impact of the mold inspections and investigations already undertaken, along with the costs of relocating, renting a new home, and replacing essential belongings we may no longer be able to use. After everything we’ve already spent trying to understand what happened to our home and get medical care, the financial strain has become more than we can manage on our own.
We’re asking for help because there is still so much ahead of us, and we simply cannot do it all alone. Donations will help cover medical appointments and specialists, our upcoming out-of-state medical trip, prescriptions and treatment, mold-related inspections and investigations, relocation and rental expenses, and the essential items needed to rebuild our lives.
Our greatest hope is to get our family the medical support we need, give my wife the best opportunity to work toward healing, and find a safe place where our boys can feel settled again. We want to focus on their well-being and rebuilding some stability without constantly wondering how we will cover every expense along the way.
If you feel led or are in a position to contribute, any amount would mean more to us than we can express. We understand that not everyone is able to give, and there is absolutely no pressure. Sharing our fundraiser, keeping us in your prayers, helping us connect with resources, or simply reaching out with encouragement would also mean so much. We’re grateful for every bit of support, in whatever form it comes.
This season has taught us that sometimes strength means asking for help and continuing to trust God when we don’t have all the answers. We believe He has continued to show us His love through the people He has placed around us. The friends and family who have opened their doors, made room for us, prayed for us, and helped us through the hardest moments have been such a blessing.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and for caring about our family. Every prayer, donation, share, kind word, and act of generosity means more than you know. We don’t take any of it for granted.
We know we still have a road ahead of us. We’re praying for healing, answers, a safe place to call home, and brighter days for our family. We don’t know exactly what the next chapter will look like, but we’re choosing to move forward with faith, gratitude, and hope.
God has been faithful, even here. And for that, we are forever grateful. 🤍
