Christa Upton
"What is that smell?" I asked my friend when she visited our newly purchased 1970s house. I'd been working on getting the smell out of our carpet for three months.
"Christa, I think it's mold."
We ended up spraying and "killing" a massive amount of mold that was hidden under the carpet, behind baseboards, etc.
Eight months later I was bedridden and very ill, and no one knew why.
It was toxic injury from the toxins produced by "dead" mold.
Seventeen months later, we finally figured out that the mold and toxins in the house were literally killing me. By then, I'd developed severe Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).
We struggled with bouncing around rentals, camping, and homelessness for five years because of the severity of my mold illness and MCS. Then our church helped us build a low-tox home. I'm finally getting better!
Learn more about Christa at her blog, Black Hills Picture Books.
Note from momsAWARE: We were saddened to learn that Christa passed away on May 31, 2024. We are thankful for her courage in the face of chronic illness and her desire to help others by sharing her story.