May 2023

Seb became very unwell in May of 2023. He got a bout of gastro, lost a lot of weight, began having loose stools with blood in them and as weeks past without improvement we knew something was drastically wrong.

We presented to emergency multiple times and had many blood tests completed. All showed chronic inflammation in the body as well as very elevated liver function panels, meaning his liver was struggling. 

July  2023 – August 2023

After a few stays in our local hospital Seb was referred to the Gastrointology team at the Royal Children’s Hospital.  After an endoscope and colonoscopy, Seb  was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Disease, both Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

September 2023 – April 2024
We worked hard to get this under control, and Sebby regained the 11 kilos he lost. He was even able to start high school and live a very normal life.

May 2024

As the weather got colder, Seb started to go down hill again.

We presented to the Royal Children’s and were prescribed Mesalamine to control his IBD symptoms. After just three doses, Seb became violently ill and was rushed to the Royal Children’s ED.

He had an allergic reaction to the Mesalamine and it caused Acute Pancreatitis.

Seb was 48 kilos when he presented to the hospital, an as a result of the Pancreatitis and lengthy recovery, Seb dropped down to 40 kilos in the weeks that followed.

June 2024

We made the shock discovery of hidden mould in our family home. The internals of our plaster walls were infested with dangerous black mould. Upon this discovery, we knew this had something to do with Sebs ill health.

We began to remove the bathroom plaster to find rotten framework. We lifted the floor tiles to find our subfloor had turned to complete compost.

We had to remove our entire (and only bathroom)

We then began our investigations into Mould Toxicity Illness and started a search for mould specialists.

August 2024

We are now seeing a Functional Doctor with special interest in Mould Illness and Autoimmune Conditions. Seb has completed testing which shows the mould levels in his body are at 15 times the safe amount with all 5 toxic species of Mould.

September 2024

Seb has just completed an emergency 8 day stay in the Royal Children’s Hospital after his weight plummeted to a shocking 36 kilos during his detox from the mouldy environment. 

A strong positive is that Sebs liver testing is now within the normal range. (since removing the mould) 

Current situation

The road to recovery is long and costly.

Mould Illness is not readily researched in Australia and requires expensive doctors with specialist training in Mould Toxicity and CIRS protocols. 

Mould remediation and replacement of the family bathroom is also causing significant financial stress for our little family. 3 months and counting without a shower.