- October 10, 2019
From the outside, the Gudith family’s home looks impeccable. The bright green lawn is well-manicured and the gardens are lush. From the surface, the interior of the two-story brick colonial home looked just as visually appealing.
“Ask anyone who knows us well and they’ll tell you we’re excessively clean,” Chelsea Gudith said. “It’s a running joke in our family that Todd vacuums once a day.” (Todd is Chelsea’s husband.)
However, things are not always as they seem and looks can be deceiving. The Gudiths said that problems of their nightmare can be seen in their driveway, where the family has two portable storage units parked in their driveway. The yellow storage unit is being used to hold all of the belonging in their house that they cannot salvage, and the white one is being used to hold all of the stuff that they can keep.
The white container with the things they can keep is one-quarter of the size of the yellow one, which holds the things they must get rid of. The items they have to part with are contaminated with mold.
Almost a year ago, the Gudith family started to develop inexplicable health problems. Chelsea also experienced a troubling case of infertility; a problem they did not experience when she got pregnant with her 5-yearr-old daughter.
Bio Energy Medical Center told Chelsea that they believed the root of the family’s health problems was related to mold exposure. Lab tests quickly confirmed the suspicion.
The tests showed that Chelsea’s body was being slowly poisoned by airborne mold. Experts found that mold had been spreading throughout the family’s unfinished basement and crawlspace.
“The mold in our basement isn’t the black mold that most people are familiar with; rather, it’s an airborne mold that can only be detected with special monitors,” Chelsea explained. “You can’t see it. You can’t smell it,” she said.
Chelsea says that the medical professionals told her that her health issues started when the furnace started to come one. The furnace is located in the unfinished basement of the family’s home, so when it kicked on, it was spreading mold into the first and second floors of the house; totally unbeknownst to the Gudith’s.
Chelsea said that the experts told them that something like this could happen to anyone.
Not only did the family lose the majority of their possessions, including furniture, linens, clothing, and anything that is made of or contains fibrous materials that can absorb mold, but they have also experienced numerous other life-changing challenges as a result of the mold.
They have been forced to leave their home until the mold is complete eliminated, and that’s going to take a long time.
Chelsea said that she’s happy that they finally have answers, but that they family is devastated.
Mold Inspection & Testing Detroit has vast experience performing mold inspections in properties throughout the city and the surrounding areas. We strongly encourage all homeowners to have mold testing performed – even if signs are not present – to ensure the safety of their health. To speak to a representative from MI&T, please call 313.312.9944.
