A DEVASTATED mum claims her dream home started ‘killing’ her family – as hidden mould in the walls left them hospitalised.
Alexandra Campos and her husband Jefte Campos bought their dream £165,000 ($225,000) home in September 2021 and were excited to move in with their three children.
Alexandra and her family all became ill after moving in to their dream home[/caption]
The walls were covered in hidden mould[/caption]
Jesper broke out in rashes due to the mould[/caption]
But the 29-year-old mum was horrified when the family began to succumb to numerous illnesses and autoimmune diseases, which she believes was due to chronic inflammation from the mould.
A year after the move, the couple’s four-year-old daughter Maeve started having a high heart rate along with a raspy voice – before turning red ‘like a tomato’.
The youngster was eventually diagnosed with Graves Disease and Thyroid Eye Disease, an autoimmune disease.
Alexandra said the health problems continued for the whole family, with her husband getting rashes and flare-ups of an autoimmune disease he had prior to moving in and her son having brain inflammation that affected his speech.
The mum said she experienced extreme tiredness causing her dizziness and muscle pain, and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue.
In June 2024, the couple accidentally discovered the hidden water damage underneath the floorboards in their bathroom, caused by a water pipe under the toilet.
A remediation company discovered that there was mould inside the walls and under the floors of the whole house and deemed it uninhabitable for the family, who have now moved to a friend’s house.
The mum-of-three said it will cost them $80,000 to remediate the house while they had to throw away all of their belongings due to the mould particles.
A GiveSendGo page has been set up to help support the family.
Alexandra, from Fort Worth, Texas, US, said: “It was our first home and we were so excited. Being a young couple, we were ecstatic to get our first home.
“We had really bad health issues for years before we realised, we had looked for signs of mould previously, I’m very tidy and I clean constantly.
“Something usually triggers an autoimmune disease. We changed our diet, we did everything and did not know what was causing it.
“My husband was hospitalised for a week and I thought something was killing us.
“I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue, I was just exhausted all the time, my feet hurt, I couldn’t walk on the ground without comfy slippers. I couldn’t wear my wedding ring because my hands were swollen and painful.
What is mould and how to get rid of it?
Mould is more likely to grow during the winter months.
Olivia Young, Product Development Scientist at Astonish revealed exactly why this is.
“Unfortunately, mould is a common problem many people face during winter. It thrives in conditions that are warm and damp, so your bathrooms are likely to be the most affected place.
“That said, during the colder months most rooms in your home could be vulnerable to mould growing.
“This occurs primarily from condensation that builds up on your windows when you’ve got your radiators on.
“If you think about it, when windows and doors are closed, there’s not much chance for the air to circulate and the moisture to make a swift exit.
“This build up is what can cause dreaded mould to make an appearance, especially in bathrooms, as it creates that warm and wet environment that is a breeding ground for mould.
“If left untreated, not only is it unsightly but it can also pose a serious risk to your health, so it’s really important you treat it.
“The key to tackle mould is to act fast.
“Try to come into as little contact with it as you can. So, grab your gloves, tie up your hair and get to work to remove any signs of mould as soon as you notice them.
“To keep mould at bay, there are some simple solutions you can introduce throughout home.
“The first is keep it ventilated. Yes, even in the cold winter months try to leave your bathroom window open for at least 10/15 minutes post shower or bath. This will get rid of any excess moisture quickly preventing mould gathering.
“If you’re having a repeat problem with mould in one particular area, it might be because the humidity levels are too high. You can get a dehumidifier that will help keep the levels low and reduce the risk of mould returning.
“The golden rule to remember when dealing with mould is the quicker you can treat it, the better. If you leave it, it will only get worse so never ignore it!
“To successfully get rid of mould every time, I recommend opting for the UK’s No 1 Mould & Mildew Remover, that effectively removes mould and mildew stains almost instantly, with no scrubbing necessary.”
“I had joint pain and exhaustion to another level when I would be dizzy and have headaches. My hands and feet hurt so bad it was horrible.
“We kept having these weird things and couldn’t figure out what was going on. About two and a half years later, we found the water damage.
“Our floor started bubbling as the glue was coming undone and lifting the wood. My husband went into our crawl space and saw water, mould, moisture, it was a mess.
“It never came externally on the walls, it was just in our subfloors we had no idea.
“When the remediation team came in and started ripping the walls, it was inside of the walls and everything.
“We’re not living there, it is uninhabitable. It’s extremely expensive, we thought it was going to be just a couple of rooms but it turned out to be the entire house.
“The wood underneath the bathroom tiles was so soft that one of the guys legs fell through it.
“We’ve gone through major grieving processes, we’ve grieved it a lot. We lost all of our belongings, we threw our couch, beds, rugs, dressers, everything got thrown away.”
The stay-at-home mum said the mould affected her six-year-old son who has autism as it caused brain inflammation, leaving him unable to speak for a period of time.
Alexandra said it took the family about two months to recover after moving out of the house and have been left devastated.
Alexandra said: “My son has autism, he had a lot of regression throughout living there. People call it mould rage and we definitely noticed that with him, it causes brain inflammation.
“He really had more skill regression, he didn’t talk for a really long time, when he did learn a new skill he would lose skills.
“My youngest didn’t live there very long and we didn’t notice anything on her.
“Mould doesn’t cause autoimmune disease but causes chronic inflammation and affects your immune system.
“We had rashes and respiratory things but it would always present itself like a cold. Looking back, we really were sick all the time.
“We’re going through a couple of different options and trying to navigate that currently, we don’t have an exact plan yet.
“We’ve cried a lot, it was devastating for our little family to not have a home anymore and to not know what to do, there’s not a ton of resources.
“It’s really hard to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for. For a long time I felt like I failed my kids, I thought about how I did not know.
“That was devastating, knowing that the home you’re trying to heal from all these medical things is making it worse.
“We felt like we failed at purchasing the home. What was causing it was a hidden overflow from the toilet.
“We feel a lot better since we moved out. It took a couple of months, we went through a detox period. We were just exhausted. It was a gradual thing, not an immediate relief. Because we were in it for so long.”
The mould put Eamon in hospital[/caption]
Maeve was also hospitalised[/caption]