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We were Poisoned -Children Dying Too
I got a google alert with the words trichothecene and mycotoxins. We
were massively poisoned by this agent of biowarfare. You may have heard it called Yellow rain -used in laos and elsewhere to kill 1000's. It poisoned us both in a brick home we lived in nearly 2 years. With HIGHLY toxic amounts in the insulation and walls a child is still there. This is even by the CDC a deadly vapor which can be produced from toxic molds or I guess manufactered? Being we had to abandon 2 homes,all our possessions -clothes, photos, furniture and our whole lives destroyed healthwise - I cannot access my own pc so I'm going to copy and paste this story. This is in the schools, workplace and home. Don't let your children or anyone else suffer irreversible damages or lifelong suffering. Our story will be in E-Magazine march 2007 issue - but we need more press - from a health standpoint and a human interest story. You hear about people having to burn their houses down - well we not only had stealth mold but actual t2 poisoning. We fight to survive, start life anew with only the clothes on our backs and a hope to help others be spared thru our voice. Please call us or email us. This is a desperate situtation and we need help from any media outlets, medical and just people who care about us and the mold and toxic issues. I, personally, have met 5 other who are dying. I have this story and an article on http://www.survivingyellowrain.blogspot.com We're lifelong songwriters/musicians who released a 911 tribute CD, Surviving the Storms (for Katrina victims) and many others just before we found out what was killing us. I also have photos of the burns to eyes, face and multiple organs upon request. Do not let you children be around mold or water-damaged buildings. America, please help us break the mold of death. In the darkness of the midnight, may I be a shining light. Iris Harden - Thomas Brooks I'm living dying proof - it's time to break the mold. It's Reality - Not Allergy! For God's sake and America's future- please somebody help us share our story. I sadly share the story of Iris and Tommy Lee. We are victims of toxic mold. We're also victims of deadly trichothecene poisoning. I never thought I'd be writing such a tragic article. Tlee and I are lifelong songwriters and musicians. However, life as we once knew it will never be the same. Our health has been adversely affected with immune dysfunction disorder, multiple organ damage and near cellular death. By medical science we should not be living. Only faith and the grace of God can restore our health. Life's journey down the road of physical, emotional, and financial destruction has been a long one. However, we remain strong in spirit and pray for a brighter tomorrow. As far as mold related illnesses, we're very concerned about the lack of concern. We want to help other victims. We also hope sharing our tragedy will prevent many from falling prey to this silent killer. Though there is great detail and human emotion we feel it is important for the world to know. For this to happen to us in our home - not in a storm-ravaged area such as New Orleans - how much more are they at risk? Please listen to us!! First I want to assure any doubters out there; We are not suspected or probable cases; we are "confirmed" and even documented cases. We met all the criteria and biomarkers for mold poisoning. Blood tests showed very high antibodies to many molds and the specific mycotoxins they produce. Environmental testing confirmed very high levels of these same molds and the specific mycotoxins they produce in our home. This included very high amounts of the biological agent trichothecene (Roridin A). Genetic testing by PCR revealed very high copy numbers of the DNA of both aspergillus and stachybotrys in white blood cells and lung secretions. This test proves not only mere "exposure" but actual growth of toxic molds in our bodies. (The case has been documented because this is rare to test positive for both). I went a step beyond the above mentioned testing and had a biopsy done. Tissue samples bore the pathological fingerprint for trichothecene poisoning. The diagnosis is not in question and if anyone thinks it is, they are wrong. I also have photos taken before, during and after the poisoning. If a picture paints a thousand words you'll see obvious burns from T2 vapors and the severe affect on my central nervous system, in a cross-contaminated situation. I'll attempt to tell you what took place. My focus is on how it affected me, Iris. Tommy Lee was affected somewhat differently. You may recognize some of the things I mention. I am not a physician or medical expert nor do I claim to be. I am an innocent victim and I deeply care about the health and welfare of others. Personal experience is sometimes the best teacher. Countless hours of research has also given me an education. I've been very fortunate to have had total strangers lead me in the right direction. I'm forever grateful to them. I do not wish to remain in the victim mode, but rather be a living testimony of God's healing touch. We, unknowingly, moved into a "sick house" in June 2003. I had no idea what a sick house even was. I was already a victim of chronic pain. I certainly never thought this small brick home was a health hazard. It was built in 1952, had a floor furnace and very little ventilation. But I never even thought twice about it. As my health quickly began to deteriorate, I did not attribute it to the house. I had very unusual symptoms from the day I moved in. I had intense muscle pain all over my body unlike any I'd ever experienced. Sometimes my muscles hurt so badly, I would hold back the screams and try to hide my tears. I hated for Tlee to see me this way. Simple mosquito bites became swollen and actually bruised when I touched them. I got nauseated. I'd never reacted like this before, as I used to camp on the banks of the Savannah River every weekend. I had a fungal infection in my toe. I thought it just was an ordinary in-grown toenail. I was sitting on my sofa one night and I went into a bizarre and "contorted" spasm of my face, arms and left leg. Tlee thought I was having a convulsion, yet I was fully aware of my surroundings. We were terrified! The paramedics asked if I'd gotten around any type of poison. I couldn't speak and the pain was really bad. It looked like something out of a horror movie and I'm not exaggerating! I sat in a wheelchair at the ER for several hours in a convulsive state as they continued to call patients who did not appear to be in serious condition. My Pastor went to the desk several times and told them I needed to be seen. By the time they called me back the episode had ended. No further testing was done to find the etiology of these continued attacks. My blood pressure was consistently low (in the range of 70 over 35). Bradycardia with a heartrate of 40 to 50 bpm. My body temperature varied from 95.5 to 97.8. Physicians knew this but never explored the reasons. I had chronic abdominal pain and nausea with bloody mucous in my stools. The severe muscle pain lingered. I thought I was going to die. What is sad is I almost wanted to die to escape the pain. Maybe I should not say this, but I actually tried to get my affairs in order and I begged Tommy Lee to drop me off at a motel where I could just end it all. I KNEW I really felt all this pain, but I had no idea it was my home! Thank God, Tommy Lee would not honor my request. I can only imagine how he felt! After a long rain around summer of 2004 a panel in the living room ceiling tile gave way. It exposed the 35 year old celluose insulation. Water began to drip onto the hardwood floor. We also noticed moisture coming from the floor tiles in the kitchen floor after it rained. I did not visibly see any mold! (It sometimes can act as a stealth poison). I began to notice a crawling sensation in the left side of my face. My face, hands and arms began to have an irritable fiberglass-like sting to them. I'd often use my fingertips to apply lip gloss. I had no idea a poisonous vapor was on my hands. My lips felt blistered. My eyes were extremely dry. The roof continued to leak in my rental home. Moisture still appeared under the floor tiles. We ran a humidifier because it seemed to help the burning and dry skin. We had no idea we were adding fuel to the fire. (Moisture) In Jan. 2005 it became very evident the home was making me sick. I had highly visible burns to my eyes, nose, lips and face. I went to my primary care physician in frantic tears and pain. I couldn't even hold my eyes open. They were swollen and had a bloody discharge. There were small white abrasions in my mouth with burning in the oral mucous membranes. He diagnosed me with "rosacea" which made absolutely no sense. I was back in his office several times from Jan to March 2005, as well as going to the ERs, my local allergist-immunologist, opthamologist, endocrinologist, and gastroenterologist. I even went to a psychiatrist at the request of my pcp in hopes they would believe there really was something TOXIC to me. We even had a recommendation for a tox screen, but he ignored me and even my Pastor; (Was I imagining the blisters and other visible symptoms)?? I continued to beg for a toxic screen and stressed the roof leak. I explained I could not function. I was getting so frustrated because nobody took the time to listen or acknowledge obvious symptoms. They made comments like "her obsession with some toxic exposure is beyond the scope of reality". The medical opinion seemed to be I was suffering from delusions, hypochondria, and a somatization disorder. This was clearly phychosomatic??? No, it was a living hell!! No one paid any attention to what I told them about my living environment. A few local physicians tried to help me as much as they could. The ones who should have helped me refused to take me serious when I knew my life was at risk. In fact, I was from motel to motel for over 2 months. I wore a mask when I had to enter my home. I still could not breathe. I'd turn as white as a ghost. The burning sensation moved from my face to my lungs to my stomach. I continued to look for help, even from the environmental aspect. Every agency referred me to another agency. It was like an endless circle which led to nowhere. Nobody would check out what was in this home! When motel and food money ran out I hooked up a small heater with an extension cord and ran it to our van which had no heat. I just wanted to sleep and be warm. It was so cold outdoors; we even had a bad ice storm. My fingertips throbbed with pain. Teardrops stung my face. Many nights, I went to a local Huddle House just to be out of the cold. The waitresses knew my situation and let me sit there. When the pain got so bad I had to cry out, I'd go into the ladies restroom and curl up on the floor in one of the bathroom stalls. I didn't want to disturb anyone. I'd leave early in the morning and go sit on the front porch and make phone calls about homes for rent. The landlord would not check out the house. He said we'd just have to move. The roof leaked for 9 months or more. We moved out in March 2005, still not knowing what was in the home. My children came from out of state and loaded up all our possessions and we took them to our next residence. Finally, we would be safe!! WRONG!!!!! Everything we took with us was contaminated with toxic mold spores and deadly trichothecene. Although the insulation-fiberglass sensation got better, this toxin was already in my body and I was still being exposed to it. I was getting sicker. Eventually I couldn't stay in this home either. I just wanted to this nightmare to be over! I somehow found the right information. I knew now I had not only mold poisoning, but trichothecene poisoning. I knew exactly what toxin was in my body. It was absorbed as a vapor through inhalation, dermally and through ingestion. I begged for a toxic screen and proper tests. I took photos of the initial burns to my appts. I had reappearing burns where the vapors had first entered my skin. Nobody would believe me or either they just did not care. I was so desperate by now. Tommy Lee and I had no idea where to turn. I managed to arrange and pay for testing of the toxic home we had vacated. It showed very elevated levels of toxic mold. I could still get no medical help, so I made an appointment (on my own) with Toxicology in Atlanta, Ga. (Grady Health System-Poison Control). I thought, "Finally, I'll have a toxic screen and get treatment." I sent photos and a chronological order to them weeks ahead of time. I showed them the environmental report. When Tommy Lee and I arrived we met with 2 toxicologists. I did not see the Dr. I was supposed to see. As we told them about the trichothecene, I had an attack on my central nervous system while sitting on the examining table. My face was contorted. I could not speak clearly as my speech was very slurred. I had visible burns on my nose and small lesions in my mouth. My eyes were blood red and had a clear, yet blood-tinged discharge. My vision was distorted. I explained the toxins had penetrated my skin and was in my cheekbone. I had 3 abcess teeth at one time when in the first home. In the cross-contaminated home, I actually had my front upper tooth just completely "fall out" due to the T2 poisoning. (Thank God my tooth was replaced, as I'm not quite that much of a country girl)! I explained to them my prior medical records revealed interstitial lung disease (which nobody bothered to tell me). My PCP had diagnosed me with COPD even though I'd never smoked and my pulmonologist had written him a letter stating there was no evidence of the COPD; thus it was something else. I didn't even know about this letter until much later. I found out that I had a cyst on my spleen of unknown etiology and bacteria in my urine. (again, nobody had shared this; I saw it on my medical reports). My INR was abnormal and I showed signs of Epstein Barr virus. (Is it strange nobody told me any of this)?? In Dec. 2005, I was finally in contact with people who believed me. Many donated their services and helped diagnose my illness. I was now living in a cross-contaminated home. I had developed a hypersensitivity to molds. The T2 and other toxins were still poisoning us. We could not run the heat, as it increased the symptoms. Again, we were forced into motels. By now the illness had progressed. I had to get treatment out of state for nobody here believed me, even though we were now confirmed cases. I was very fortunate to get treatment for 10 months from a Dr. and staff who really cared about the sanctity of life. As we were forced from our home again, we KNEW we could not take our belongings with us this time. On June 30th, 2006, we lost our lease at a home we loved. Though our situation was made known to all liable parties, we got no assistance. We had nobody to help us get our belongings out of this residence. It was over 100 degrees. One friend helped move some things to storage. We managed to get our music studio, guitars, keyboards, antiques and anything we thought we could save into storage. Most of our possessions were left sadly behind. Clothes, original lyric sheets, important papers, cherished photos, musical awards, documents, my angel collection and so much of our lives are forever gone. I made many requests for protective gear and assistance but none was given. Though I went through our belongings outdoors with a carbon mask and gloves, the T2 vapors and toxic spores, high humidity and sweltering heat almost killed us. We sat there with all our possessions dumped in the front yard. My face was re-burned; the vapors dried my hair and blistered my eyes; Both Tlee and I had severe nausea, stomach pains, mental confusion and sheer exhaustion. The last day of packing I had another severe attack on my central nervous system. It was VERY painful! My face began to contort; I could not speak or even open my left eye; My face was cramping and pulling to the left. The hideous spasms went into both hands and my left leg. It was very hard on me, but my heart went out to Tlee. What was this doing to him? He took photos of all this. To be so sick himself and see me in such agony - he had to walk away and cry (though I didn't know this on that day). To endure something like this in this great land called America is a not only a shame, it is wrong! We needed help and we got none! We did nothing to cause this, yet we were treated inhumanely. Since the poisoning I have now developed MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities). I have very adverse reactions to things that never bothered me in the past (pesticides, air fresheners, paints, chemicals) and especially mold. Life is difficult to say the least. We have spent the last 10 months living in our old van and sleeping on an air mattress in a room at my church. I had to get rid of my Buick as it was highly toxic to me. We made 500 mile trips for medical treatments with no heat since Jan. 2006; During summer we had no air conditioner and it was very hot and humid. We only have the clothes our church ministry has given us. We had no refrigerator for food at the church, so we tried to eat out as we could afford it; our funds have been totally depleted and our health compromised. We need a warm and dependable vehicle. We are on HUD and pray they provide us a safe living environment; but we have no belongings other than what is in storage. Imagine starting your life all over and also trying to survive the illness. We are trusting God's Agape love and the generousity of caring hearts. We have to be very careful of things. They must be very clean as we are super sensitive due to such a heavy exposure. Life for mycotoxic people becomes very frustrating, at times. We are not the only people living though homelessness, sickness and disaster because of toxic mold. There are victims all across this country. They have nowhere to turn. Many will lose hope and simply give up. That does not need to happen. When I think of anyone living like this it hurts. But for little children to suffer or die from toxic mold absolutely breaks my heart. How many must die before the truth comes out? We are both thankful to be alive. We are nothing short of a miracle and we surely have a greater purpose. I always knew God had something for us to do that would share His love, our music, and have a positive impact on many people. I don't know exactly why this happened to us. But God knows all things; even when we fail to understand. I do know that our mission includes working to educate people about the adverse effects of toxic mold; to give hope, courage and inspiration to other mold victims; to be instrumental in getting laws incorporated that will give us the medical and financial assistance we deserve; to hold liable parties responsible for their actions. We must work together for the good of all involved. We thank everyone out there who is taking a stand for mold victims. We are real people with a very real disease. It needs to be recognized as such. We appreciate all the physicians who publicly support us. We are indebted to those who are truly researching our illness. There are millions of dollars of grant money going to various places for this purpose. We need those on the receiving end of such grants to take advantage of using our tragedy to learn. We are ready to share all we have experienced. Where are the funds going? What have you learned about treating patients with this type poisoning? If you know how to treat us, don't let us suffer. If you don't know how, then learn from us and maybe you'll learn how. Trichothecene is an agent of biowarfare. It can come from toxic mold. The fact is we are not lab animals, but actual victims of this type of poisoning. Who better can physicians better learn from than those who are living this nightmare? What happens when it is used as an agent of war? How will people be treated in mass numbers if nobody can even help 2 confirmed cases?? We need more medical research done on all types of mold poisoning. There are 1000's of us waiting for help and willing to help others. You can visit our website (www.centurydemos.com) and see a few photos of what toxic mold did to me. If we get our studio back we hope to produce an entire environmental CD of original songs. For ANYONE to downplay the last 3 plus years of our life is more than inhumane. It's almost criminal! Shame on each one of you! Don't bother telling me and Tlee this did not happen and it is not REAL! We surely are not living this way for the recognition; and certainly not for the fun of it. We've watched our hopes and dreams become a toxic nightmare. We need the entire medical profession, governmental agencies, insurance companies, media, politicians and even our friends and families to LISTEN to what we are saying. Listen and comprehend! Take the time to learn about this illness. We need your support! We are free to speak with anyone who will take the time to hear our cry. On behalf of mold victims everywhere, our desire is as our song says: BREAK THE MOLD! Please contact us. www.centurydemos.com Iris Harden & Thomas Brooks PO Box 25, Harlem, Ga. 30814 706 595 7620 |
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