By Sula Kim
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MANDEVILLE, La. (WDSU) — A new study shows invasive mold infections may be more common than experts realized. The findings by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes from an attempt to better gauge how common these kinds of illnesses are. The government does not require doctors to report the illnesses according to the report. The researchers detected about 450 cases in Atlanta-area hospitals over five years. About a third of the patients died in the hospital. The researchers found that hospitals can expect to see 3 to 5 cases per year for every 100 inpatient beds. Most patients had impaired immune systems.
A Mandeville teenager has been struggling with mold-related illness and is sharing her story to raise awareness. 19-year-old Elaina Faler started getting sick 4 years ago.
Her symptoms included fatigue, brain fog, fever, rashes and difficulty digesting food.
But every time she went to the hospital, she says doctors told her nothing was wrong.
“They couldn’t figure it out and it was so frustrating getting told over and over that I’m a perfect patient, that it might be my anxiety or my G.I.,” Elaina said.
Until one day her father Chris Faler got a hunch to check out the vent at their Covington house which was only about 8 years old, and he says he found mold.
“I couldn’t sleep, I was bothered, so I took my light and climbed to the vent where the air comes out and peered in with my light and I saw all circles. Yellow, black, white, and I went ‘Oh my gosh this is it, it’s in our house,'” Faler said.
So, he called an environmental professional to confirm the mold in their home and immediately moved their family out.
They also found Dr. Andreas Grossgold in Florida who integrates holistic medicine into his practice.
Dr. Grossgold is a board-certified physician trained in both pediatrics and internal medicine, with advanced specialization in Integrative Medicine and Environmental Toxicity.
“What we found later is that it was not just mold but her reactivity, the reaction her body was having towards that. She has something called mass cell disease or mass cell syndrome,” Dr. Grossgold said.
Chris says Elaina had mast cell activation syndrome. It’s an autoimmune disease that’s triggered by environmental factors and in this case, he says it was mold that triggered it.
Chris said he believes he was also exposed to mold, but his immune system was able to fight it.
Elaina is now going through treatments at the clinic in Florida and as she continues to heal, she’s looking forward to her sophomore year at University of Alabama as a healthy student.
Elaina and her family want to raise awareness and educate other families on the dangers of mold. Chris is warning families to check their house for potential mold and get an expert to inspect your home if necessary.
“In Louisiana you’re going to have heat and coolness coming out of the vents and where they meet, that can form mildew and mold over time and then become toxic and get released, and we breathe that in,” said Chris.
Elaina’s mother Candace is grateful for friends and loved ones who offered support and prayers throughout their difficult journey.
“That’s what it takes a village, and sometimes when you don’t know the next move, you rely on God, you rely on family and friends and they were there. They helped us get where we need to be,” Candace said.
Chris says their health insurance does not cover expenses for Elaina’s treatments.
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