When it All Started
In 2010, I unknowingly walked into a home that would alter the course of my health for the next decade. I was 20 years old, newly married (yes, I got married very young), and living in a small back house rental. Within a few months, my then-husband and I were coughing up blood. It felt surreal—like something out of a horror film. But this was real life. And the culprit was black mold.
We first noticed mold growing beneath our brand-new foam mattress. Then on the walls. We bleached them, only to find it creeping back the next day. Eventually, we hired a mold inspector who discovered thick, fuzzy layers of black mold hiding behind the kitchen cabinets. That discovery changed everything.
We had to throw out most of our belongings and move into his parents’ house. What followed was weeks of flu-like symptoms, fevers, burning eyes, and—what I can only describe as black sludge—coming out of my legs. We felt insane, gaslit by the invisibility of it all. But our bodies knew something was deeply wrong.
At the time, we were already on a raw vegan kick. This was back before green juice was trendy—you couldn’t just Google “raw food recipes” like you can now. We had to figure it out ourselves. (Years later, we even opened a raw food takeout business in Joshua Tree—at the time, we had zero competition.)
Eventually, we moved out to the desert. The dry air seemed like reprieve to my immune system. We were juicing, detoxing, and—finally—breathing again. For a while, the worst seemed behind us. But life had other plans. Our relationship deteriorated. I eventually left and returned to my coastal hometown with two small children, ready to start over.
But the mold had left a residue inside of me that wouldn’t be washed away so easily.
The Lingering Symptoms: Years Later
Back near the Pacific, I began experiencing a mysterious wave of new symptoms. Cystic boils broke out on my face. Painful rashes. Mouth sores that blanketed my entire mouth. The fatigue was bone-deep, accompanied by fevers, chills, and body aches. I was desperate to figure out what was happening. I changed my diet. I tried every supplement. But my confidence—and my skin—were in ruins.
I’d never had skin issues before. Now I felt like I was living in someone else’s body.
That’s when I discovered ozone therapy.
Ozone Therapy: The Turning Point
By then, I was 28 and at my wit’s end. I had read about ozone but couldn’t find anyone local who offered it. One day, while venting to a friend, she casually said, “Oh, I know someone who does it out of her home.”
It was technically illegal at the time, but I was beyond caring. I met with a woman who offered ozone IV infusions out of a beautiful home her ex-husband had left her (a fun detail I’ll save for another time). She was warm, grounded, and deeply knowledgeable.
After a few sessions, my symptoms got worse—rashes flared, die-off reactions intensified—but I knew enough about detox to stay the course. Around the sixth session, I noticed a shift. By the eighth, it felt like a miracle. My energy returned. The rashes faded. I stopped waking up sick. For the first time in years, I felt like me again.
For the next six months, I went every 2–4 weeks for maintenance. My body had stabilized. And for several years, I lived relatively symptom-free.
What I Wish I Knew Then
If you’ve been exposed to toxic mold, you are not crazy—and you are not alone. The symptoms can take years to show up. They can masquerade as autoimmune flares, chronic fatigue, or unexplained skin issues. And conventional medicine often doesn’t have answers.
What helped me most was:
- Getting out of the environment (even if it meant starting over)
- Detox practices like juicing and lymphatic support
- Ozone therapy
- Trusting my body’s signals, even when no one else could see what I felt
Coming Soon: Part Two
In Part Two, I’ll share how my symptoms reappeared years later—and the unexpected healing work that helped me overcome the final layer. (Hint: it wasn’t just about my physical body.)
If you’re navigating mold illness, chronic symptoms, or a mysterious decline in your health… I see you. I’ve been there. And healing is possible—even if it takes longer than you’d like.
Stay tuned for part two, where I share how I reclaimed my nervous system, balanced my immune response, and discovered a new chapter of wellness I didn’t know was waiting for me.
SHE'S GOT RULES 
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