HOOVER, Ala. (WBRC) – Kendall and Stephen Early purchased their home in Hoover in 2022. One month later, their daughter started experiencing a bad cough. Shortly after, Stephen developed adult asthma and then Kendall started showing stroke-like symptoms.
After years of trying to figure out why they were experiencing these health issues, they learned their home was full of toxic mold.
“It got to a point where I was feeling drunk in the house and bumping into walls and having trouble walking. I started having seizures, I was being tested for epilepsy and MS. But when it was happening, mold was still not on our minds,” said Kendall.
The Early’s said the home had no musty-like smell that mold typically puts off and there was no mold visible. After seeing a TikTok of a woman who had similar health issues, they decided to get their home tested for mold.
The test showed the home had 4 toxic molds growing in places they could not see and was 500 times above normal levels.
“It’s in the walls, it’s in the decking of the roof, it’s in the subfloor, it’s in our crawl space, it’s in the HVAC. It’s pretty much hidden anywhere it could be hidden,” said Kendall.
According to the CDC, there are no set standards for what is and what is not an acceptable quantity of different kinds of molds in a home. Experts say testing can be expensive.
The home and all of its possessions is a total loss and having it cleaned or restored cost thousands of dollars.
“Six figures is just to get the house back livable and then we have to replace everything in it. Clothes, furniture,” said Stephen.
The Early’s are not living in the home because of Kendall’s rapid decline in health, meaning they are paying a mortgage on a house they can’t live in. Insurance does not cover mold.
Kendall said she is passionate about telling their story hoping it can help save people from similar complications.
“If you’re having unexplained symptoms, chronic illness, if there is no obvious explanation for you being sick or someone in your family being sick, please test your home for mold because you won’t always see it,” said Kendall.
A loved one started a GoFundMe for the Early’s that currently has raised $20,000.
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