Living outside in a tent in WI winter…

Can you imagine that the only place your body feels safe is outside in a tent? In the middle of a Wisconsin winter? When it’s -30 with the wind chill? For some of my mold warriors, this is their reality. When their homes are too moldy to tolerate, extreme measures become their only path to survival. It’s a fight for their health, compounded by the brain fog that makes searching for a new home or furniture feel impossible.

One such warrior came to me after a disheartening experience with a functional practitioner who claimed to understand mold illness. This young man, barely into his 20s, spent six months and thousands of dollars on treatments that led nowhere. In fact, his latest urine test results showed his mold levels had more than doubled during that time! Despite this setback, he didn’t give up. He kept fighting, determined not to let mold steal his future.

His mold exposure likely started in childhood, living in a mobile home with his divorced mom, who was doing her best to provide a stable life. But that meant living in conditions that were far from ideal. He admits his diet wasn’t great—like most kids, he loved all the wrong foods. But the turning point came after a stressful breakup that forced him to move back into his mom’s trailer.

Being the thoughtful son, he began helping with renovation projects to get the place ready to sell. What he didn’t realize, until it was too late, was that the walls he was pulling down were riddled with black mold. Without protective gear, he was exposed to a significant amount of mold. Soon after, his health began to unravel. Memory problems emerged—he started forgetting words. Digestive issues flared up, and he found himself unable to hold his stool. At just 20-something, he knew this wasn’t normal.

When he got an opportunity to move to Tennessee, he seized it. The job offered good money and a fresh start. But fate wasn’t kind. The apartment he rented had mold, perpetuating the cycle. By the time he moved back to Wisconsin, his health had taken a nosedive. Living in a mold-infested apartment for four years, he hit rock bottom. He couldn’t hold a job, as his memory and confidence in basic tasks failed him. Even navigating to familiar places required GPS.

Desperate, he packed up everything he owned, put it in storage, and bought a new tent. He decided to strip his environment down to the bare minimum, hoping to detox and rebuild, one day at a time.

Have you ever felt like you had to lose everything to get it all back? That’s where this young man found himself. But his story is far from over. It’s a testament to resilience and the determination to reclaim his life, even in the harshest of circumstances. With the right support, he’s taking steps toward healing—and he’s proof that even in the depths of adversity, there’s a way forward.

My warriors are the most amazing crew and I cannot wait to help this one write his next chapter!