SUMMERVILLE S.C. (WCSC) – A Summerville family says their health is declining by the day from what they claim is mold throughout their entire apartment.
Terren Holman and her family moved to The Gates at Summerville apartment complex earlier this year and said since moving in, their health has drastically turned a corner.
“They would be sick and have those coughs for weeks at a time,” Holman said. “I have an eye infection all the time. My doctor said my eyes look like I’m 50 or 60 years old and he said it’s either thyroids or it’s mold. And I just got tested for thyroids, so it’s not thyroids.”
There’s currently mold under the kitchen sink and on the kid’s clothes, and Holman said she feels like it’s in other areas she can’t even see. She said it hurts the most to see her kids in these conditions.
“It’s frustrating because, especially, I work,” Holman said. “I can’t work when they’re sick weeks at a time. I can’t send them nowhere when they’re sick like that.”
Dr. Kenneth Perry, assistant medical director at Trident Medical Center’s emergency department, said it’s difficult for people that live in apartments to have mold removed.
“The only way that I can say, from a medical standpoint, that we can prevent some of these medical problems from occurring is really to take the mold out of the environment,” Perry said.
Holman said financially, it’s not so easy for her to just move out. That being said, Perry said the best thing to do is to clean the area, keep it as dry as possible and use bleach if needed.
“Just like we would want you to see an expert when it comes to your health, we would certainly want you to see an expert when it comes to whether or not you need further professional help on getting the mold out of your apartment,” Perry said.
Holman and her family have appointments scheduled in the next week with a specialist to see if mold really is the reason why they’re sick. Perry said it’s important to see your primary care doctor to make sure nothing else is going on.
“I don’t want my kids to die,” Holman said. “I don’t want me to go blind. I don’t want our health to decline.”
The Gates at Summerville said they could not discuss this matter.
Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.
Summerville woman claims apartment mold led to family health issues
