Artist Dana Anhalt, 37, had complained to her parents about severe joint pain and allergies her entire life.
Her dad, Evan Anhalt, wrote on GoFundMe that she was not a healthy child, but doctors couldn’t determine the exact cause of her illness. In 2011, her body shut down completely — she was unable to move, speak, or walk.
According to the Daily Mail, Dana took a sudden turn for the worse in 2015 when she became severely allergic to many medications and foods.
She spent most of her 20s and 30s bedridden. At times, the 5’11” woman only weighed 70 pounds.
In two years, Dana was diagnosed many different illnesses, including Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID), chronic Lyme disease, severe Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS).
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But none of the illnesses could account for her fast deterioration. Doctors told Evan to make his daughter comfortable, as she would likely die soon. Dana told the Daily Mail:
“I nearly lost my mind…no one understood why this was happening.”
The family was told that Dana could try an immune therapy treatment, but her insurance company wouldn’t cover it. With the help of her dad, they put together a GoFundMe page and were able to start treatments. The treatment made her feel itchy all over and they had to pause her doses.
Then, a musty smell starting coming from the family’s basement. In 2016, mold remediation specialists found a black mold infestation in her childhood home. It had been in the basement since it flooded when Dana was a child.
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The black mold helped doctors understand the cause of Dana’s bodily reaction.
Further genetic testing showed that Dana had several defects that made it difficult for her body to recognize and respond to mold, medications, chemicals, and certain foods. Her body responded by producing inflammatory responses, which caused her constant joint pain.
