I don’t think any parent fully appreciates the first, blaring cries of their newborn baby, until that moment is filled with silence. The loudest silence you could possibly experience as the tiny infant is swept away without even a glimpse of her mother. This was the birth of our daughter. Several hours later we were introduced. Somewhere in a clear tank, plugged into several machines, her face almost completely covered with tubes, was our daughter, fighting for every breath.
Extensive care and detail needed to be implemented at home to ensure her survival after leaving the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Something as simple a runny nose could easily shut her lungs down all over again. The car, the house, anything and anyone coming into contact with our fragile little girl, was sanitized.
I called Bio-Clean of Utah, a skilled analyst came to our home the next day. He climbed into our attic, where the heat of the summer was matched only by the humidity. With a compassionate and professional demeanor, he thoroughly cataloged every moist beam, discoloration and every space that could harbor mold. Within 24 hours, the detailed, report was emailed to me and the results, while expected in some degree, were upsetting. “The moisture content in the ceiling measured 99.9%. The paint and drywall is water stained, cracked and bubbling, there is visible mold growth and dry rot on the underside of the roof. The insulation is dark and discolored.” The moment we read his report, so much more than our little girls raspy breaths, became substantiated. The headaches, the eye irritations, and even fatigue, could be a causality of this unseen villain.
Our minds immediately began to race, where do we start? Why didn’t we call sooner? Fortunately, the analyst’s findings included detailed mold removal, cleaning and restoration guidelines. His demeanor alone instilled trust in Bio-Clean’s ethical, professional and technical abilities, but what truly set the standard was the clarity of these guidelines. They were so specific and thorough, we could have easily bid out the project for the best deal, or even tackled it ourselves. We wouldn’t. In fact, we were approached by a contractor offering a discounted rate having heard through a friend what we were dealing with. However, after he saw the report, he advised, albeit stating the obvious, that we should not exacerbate the health risk, nor waste time. Bio-Clean of Utah should be our only choice.
From my family to yours, I urge you to do the same and to do it whether the damage seems small or overwhelming, don’t trust anyone else. The consequence is real, and you don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night and realize who is paying the price.
