From Classroom Floor Naps to Mold Hunting: What I Learned (Again)

The first time I got sick from mold and thyroid disfunction, it was a slow, steady decline into the sickest I have ever been in my life. And I did it all wrong. 

Maybe because I had never been sick like that before and was dumb enough to think I would just get over it. Maybe because I was so focused on taking care of everyone else around me and didn’t fully notice how sick I had become. Maybe because I was an endurance athlete with a positivity problem and was just gonna suck it up and wait until I got better.

The only problem was that I never got better. 

Then one day I found myself on the filthy, thirty-year old carpet of my portable classroom with a pillow and blanket trying to take a nap at lunch. 

That was my wake up call. 

Something had to change. Some problems won’t go away by doing the same things over and over that got you into the problem in the first place. I needed change.

In my case, I needed doctors and then a whole new way of living to make sure I was supporting my healing process not continuing my chronic illness.

This January, after spending almost ten years fighting my way back to healthy, I got sick again. And not just a virus, but that same lingering debilitating sick that can only be from mold. I originally thought it was from exposure at work again. But the longer I staid home to recover the sicker I got. Which I now know means the source is most likely my home.,

I had recently converted my garage into a home gym, complete with new flooring, and , even though I knew mold was a possibility if you laid flooring over newer or wetter cement it could cause mold, I had never guessed it could come on so fast.

Except for the fact that I had left the door open when it rained.

So, when I didn’t recover in the typical three days, I went mold hunting.

And found it teeming with mold. So, out it came. And got treated. 

And instead of beating myself up for being so silly to think i was above mold growing in my home again (I am crazy diligent about water intrusion in my house), instead I was just grateful to have learned my lesson that not all things will go away if you just endure. Some things you have to fight fast and hard to overcome them.

And fight I did.

So, although I made absolutely NO progress on my surfing goal (once again couldn’t hold my breath long enough to duck dive a wave of any considerable size), I did avoid another round of losing a full decade to being sick without knowing what it was or how to fight it.

And in my book that is a win.

In Souvenirs, Em ends up with the same sort of debilitating chronic disease that she was lucky enough to have her best friend Finn recognize and force her to confront.

Sure, it took an axe hurtling towards her head without Em even having the energy to dodge, but she figured it out and got the upper hand on it. And she had Finn to back her the whole way as she made the change to seek treatment and knowledge.

If Em could face her debilitating illness with Finn by her side (axe incoming and all!), then we can all take that first brave step when our bodies scream for change.

What's one small action you're taking today to fight for your health? Hit reply and tell me—I'm reading every one. 💪🌊

And if you're craving a story of a fierce woman who finally gets the support (and love) she needs to heal, grab Souvenirs now—it's the perfect reminder that sometimes the people who see us clearest are the ones who push us to fight hardest.

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