Rising Above Mold: A Warrior Family’s Journey to Health and Healing

J&S thought they were living the American dream. At just 18, newly married, they scraped together every penny to purchase their first home. It wasn’t perfect—far from it. The floors were often damp, and the dirt floor beneath the house was a detail they brushed off in their youthful optimism. But it was theirs.

Their joy was soon overshadowed by challenges they couldn’t yet comprehend. Their firstborn son arrived into this home, and as the years passed, they watched him struggle. Tantrums. Meltdowns. Nervous system dysregulation. The heartbreak of watching him fight battles they couldn’t understand was unbearable. Looking back, they now believe he suffered from PANS and PANDAS, conditions often exacerbated by environmental toxins. He was later diagnosed with autism, a journey that tested their strength and resilience. But against the odds, he recovered, though the path was anything but easy.

As for J, she began to experience severe anxiety not long after moving in. She brushed it off—surely this was just part of aging and the pressures of raising a family. Maybe she was just an anxious person, born that way. The self-doubt settled deep, reinforcing the belief that something was simply wrong with her, not her environment.

Seven years later, they moved into a second home, one with slightly less mold. Almost immediately, J felt a shift. She was more grounded, more herself. It was as though she had been underwater for years and was finally coming up for air. Feeling more capable, she and S decided to expand their family. But tragedy struck. A miscarriage.

The question loomed—was it the mold? Most likely. But they pressed on, determined to build their family. Two more beautiful children arrived, doubling the love in their home. Yet, with each birth, J’s health declined further. She began experiencing debilitating pain, relentless hip aches, and food intolerances so severe that she could barely eat. Emergency room visits became routine. It seemed like her body was rejecting life itself.

Finally, they uncovered the truth—their homes had been poisoning them all along. The toxic mold they had unknowingly lived with had been an invisible enemy, eroding their health day by day. Desperate for relief, they moved into a rental, only to find—more mold. The cruel irony of being a mold warrior is that the more you fight, the more it seems to find you. Her reactions grew worse. Her body more sensitive. Until, in an act of pure survival, she spent the summer living in a tent, reducing exposure as much as possible.

Even then, her body revolted against most foods, forcing her to adopt a strict carnivore diet. But she wasn’t alone in this battle. S had been suffering too, though in his quiet resilience, he had learned to manage his symptoms through meditation. Long before mindfulness became mainstream, S was a master at calming his immune system, a skill honed through sheer necessity.

S’s strength was forged in hardship. At just seven years old, he lost his father unexpectedly. The months that followed were a blur of couch-hopping and uncertainty. When his mother remarried, his new stepfather brought not stability, but abuse—physical, emotional, and mental. The belt. The manipulation. The pain. But S refused to be broken.

He built his life from the ground up, serving in the Air Force, then launching his own electrician business. But he had bigger dreams. The mold battle had lit a fire within him—a purpose. He vowed to build clean, safe living spaces for others like them, for the warriors fighting to reclaim their health. First, he would complete a barndominium for his own family, a refuge where they could finally heal. Then, he would help TLC construct homes designed to protect mold-sensitive individuals, giving them the sanctuary they desperately needed.

J&S’s journey is far from over, but one thing is certain—nothing will stop this family. They are warriors, and they will rise. Tune in as they embrace their clean environment, detox their bodies, and reclaim their lives. The battle may have been long, but their victory is inevitable.