Mold drives family from home

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Mold drives family from home

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By DEBORAH BUCKHALTER

Floridan Staff Writer

Published: March 1, 2009

County Floridan Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:06 AM PST

Gilbert, a nurse, believes she has finally found out what was

making her two young children sick all the time.

The culprit is mold, she thinks.

A local medical professional has informally given her that opinion,

and she's planning to consult her children's physician for

confirmation.

The home she grew up in, and where she has been raising her 8-year-

old daughter and 2-year-old son, is infested with seven different

kinds of mold. The mold developed as the result of leaks in the home,

according to a contractor who inspected the home.

The cocktail of mold is so powerful, she believes, that it has caused

numerous health problems for her children. Getting rid of the

material will be both a costly and time-consuming process.

Estimates on the minimal clean-up come to around $5,000. That doesn't

include nearly all of the additional work that will need to be done,

such as gutting the rooms where her children sleep and replacing the

roof above their heads.

Gilbert says she's exhausted all possible avenues of financial help

on the project, to no avail. As a result of the mold problem, Gilbert

has had to move her children out of the house and move in with one

another family member.

Because it is not feasible for Gilbert to stay there with her

children, she shuttles between their temporary dwelling and her own,

seeing to their needs as she also holds down her job at Everest

Medical Care. Gilbert said the separation is emotionally devastating

for her and her children, and there's no end in sight.

Her co-workers have stepped in to help, with various fund raisers in

the works.

The first is Saturday, March 7, at Trinity Baptist Church on Bump

Nose Road in nna.

A spaghetti dinner will be held there between 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Plates are $7 for adults and $4 for children. Diners can eat in or

take out, and tickets will be sold at the door or in advance. To get

an advance ticket, call at 482-5223 or Judy at 482-2061.

Those who want to make an outright monetary donation, donate building

materials or their labor should call Gilbert at 526-6023 or anne

at 209-7292.

The overall fund raising effort has been dubbed " 's Hope. "