Mornings are usually tiring but what about the mornings that makes us feel low? And others look at us like our laziness is increasing day by day. How does it feel when you are actually in pain and your boss and colleagues think you are faking it? Bad, right? Such days can make anyone feel sorry about themselves but what if those days never end? If given a choice to make what would you choose, living a healthy yet short life or sick and long one?
It can be really distressing as well as frustrating when one doesn't know what's making him/her feel sick. It not only worries the patients but their friends and family too. As you can only look for the cure once you know the disease. This is the unusual story of Kathi Wilson who suffered and suffered only to open eyes of the people who'll know about it.
People who knew Kathi Wilson, have never seen her sick. Not that she doesn't fall sick but she recovered quickly every time. She had a strong immune system and was always tried to keep her diet healthy. She knew the importance of a healthy life sadly, nothing was going to be in her favor, especially her health. She was doing fine but not for too long, her life soon going to be surrounded with a lot of unreasonable stuff.
Kathi strongly believed in the saying that goes like, "prevention is better than cure". She never ever missed her regular check-ups with the doctor every once in six months. Not just herself, time to time Kathi took her kids for these check-ups too. She always wanted to stay up to date and her systematic nature never allowed her to take the doctor's appointment lightly.
Kathi was all fit and fine, taking care of her family, spending time with her kids. She was having perfect days before the Wilson family moved to their new home in Shelbyville, Indiana. Their new place was located in a pretty good society and it had a small backyard for kids to play. Kathi got all she wanted; her kids' happiness. The good times were about to end soon.
The new house they moved into was all set to instantly start living with any repairing. This was one of the main reasons why Kathi chose this house, she didn't have time to get a place that needed renovation or any extra work. Well, she was overwhelmed when she got this place as it was exactly what she was looking for, nobody knew a place can be the reason to give her sad and painful days.
Kathi was a working woman, she was managing both her family as well as her office from the very beginning. Yes, it is hectic but that's how most of the women do it. Starting from the early morning breakfast to the supper, Kathi tried to reduce the intake of fast foods in her as well as her kids' diet. She replaced it with fruits and veggies and healthy recipes. A mother caring for her children, working hard to save for their future. Everything sounds like a normal family, right?
That Monday morning was again as usual but something didn't feel right. Kathi made breakfast for her kids and packed their lunches, she bid them a good day while the bus picked them up for school. Somehow, Kathi went to her office but felt lazy all day long. She thought that she might be having Monday blues and that's all. But it was the start of a series of incidences that wasn't going to stop anytime sooner. Something that was about to bring everything in Kathi's life at risk.
Kathi was one of those people who enjoy their work, whether it be office works or her daily chores. She did it all well and always tried to achieve perfection in whatever she took responsibility of. She never really felt sick not even depressed, she has been a person who was energetic and always up for hard work. So many things all together in her shoulders but she never really got scared of it rather took it all as a challenge.
Like every one of us, Kathi too has been through ups and downs during her life but she never knew what being depressed was like. She was a believed in keeping the fighter spirit always up. Whatever may have to her way, nothing was ever too strong to break her willpower. All these things made it more and more difficult for others to believe when things started turning around.
Kathi never believed in taking medication. She knew herself well enough that normal cold or headaches will go once she gets ample amount of rest. Even that day she said no to painkillers and went straight to home knowing it'll help like it always does.
That day she came home and went to bed earlier than other days hoping this might help her in feeling better. But nothing was going to get better but only worse with time. She took a long sleep and woke up the next morning, took a long refreshing bath but ended up with the same strange feeling. This time she had a headache too. Again she continued doing her daily chores but couldn't make it to the office.
Kathi's headache was just too much to handle and she eventually took an off from her office that day. She stayed home and this time she took medicines thinking it might be fever or something that normal rest will not help in. She slept all day with the help of the medicines as she didn't want to extend her off from the office.
She woke up feeling more miserable. Her complete body was aching and didn't know why. She didn't feel well at all. There was no way that she can take two leaves in a row. She decided to go to the office and leave early this day. By now, her kids too were feeling that something was not right with their mother.
Kathi was 41-year-old and the thought of falling sick, unable to look after family always used to freak her out. She tried to tell herself that this is just because she needs a break from her hectic schedule and that's what it is all about. After all, she used to work overtime but her kids were worried especially her daughter.
Ashley, Kathi's daughter was seeing her mother in such condition for the first time. She couldn't see her mother in so much pain. Her concern grew for her mother when she said that it wasn't a big issue and she'll get better soon. According to Kathi, her daughter's concerns were valid but visiting the doctor's clinic wasn't really required. Ashley listened to her mom and gave her the time she asked for.
Kathi's condition was getting worse, she seemed weak and nothing was really working. Neither the idea of taking rest nor regular pain reliefs were of any help. After taking a couple of days off from her office also when nothing changed, Ashley insisted on Kathi visiting the doctor. Now Kathi didn't see any other option and went to the doctor but was it going to help?
Kathi was given over-the-counter medicines with a mixture of vitamins to get rid of the sickness. Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Vitamin E, Zinc, Iron, doctors tried it all but nothing was of help. The doctors to said the same thing that she already knew. She was advised to apply for at least a week's leaves in her office and take complete rest. Sadly, nothing was changing for her.
Kathi's condition was persistently deteriorating. She lost her appetite and looked pale. She was also suffering from severe exhaustion from time to time. A week went by and nothing was helping in any way. Ashley was worried for her mother and this time she dragged her to the clinic to get to the bottom of this but it will be long before they can get even the slightest of an idea of what was wrong with Kathi.
When Ashley forced Kathi to visit a doctor, they were shocked to see Kathi, it was on her face that she was sick, very sick. Doctors were not even expecting her as a woman like her can easily overcome the flu within a few days. Yet there she was in front of the doctors weaker than the last week. No, Kathi's situation started troubling the doctors.
Dr. Mary Beth Hensley took it in her hands to get to the roots of Kathi's disease. Starting with blood tests, allergy tests to be sure that about everything. But all tests were cleared and nothing seemed to be the reason for Kathi's condition. Nothing was diagnosed but to be on a safer side, Dr. Hensley added a number of antibiotics to keep her for the “elimination” approach. Dr. Hensley was expecting Kathi's body will react to the antibiotics which will make it clear what exactly is wrong with her what happened next was almost unbelievable for them.
Kathi was losing her strength to walk, she could hardly keep her eyes open. It was hard for a woman like her to stay at home all the time when she loved talking to people. Everyone in her family was worried and her friends were visiting her and wishing that she'll get well soon. When the mysterious disease wasn't diagnosed, people started giving their assumptions that were more hurting for Ashley.
When friends and relatives visited Kathi, they told Ashley that there's a possibility that all this mysterious disease could be just a story inside Kathi's mind. Ashley could not believe that as she saw her mother falling into this situation. She was understanding her mother's sufferings, she was a witness of her health, she wasn't ready to agree to what people said as she knew something was seriously wrong with Kathi which they've to get resolved.
Kathi wanted to get rid of his illness and she tried everything that she could. She looked through the internet to see what disease matches with her symptoms. She gave everything a try including natural remedies, herbal treatment concoctions, and other doctor's advice. She even discussed her problem with the so-called online experts through emails and chats. Again all she got was just hands full of disappointment in the result.
Other than her daughter Ashley no one else was believing in Kathi and her issues. She was still in her 40s but looked like she has aged 20 years within a few months. People lost faith in Kathi, they all assumed that it was just a self-made story of her and that's all but the truth was soon bring the world into shock. "Over the years it kept getting worse and worse," her daughter, Ashley recalled.
What seemed like flu took more than 10 years of Kathi's life. The woman who used to go to the hospital twice a year to get regular check-ups done has spent more than a decade visiting the doctors regularly. Dr. Hensley too felt helpless, she tried everything to help Kathi but nothing worked. Over the period of time, they did, “cardiac testing, chest x-rays, MRI’s [of] the brain, the spine, to see if something was related.” But all the reports were always showing that everything was fine with Kathi. “I felt we were very thorough but didn’t come up with a solution.” The problem was in her home that no one could ever have imagined.
At this time, Kathi was completely alone and on top of everything she was sick and tired of this illness. It impacted her mental health, office life, personal life and more. Kathi was not even able to walk without a support. She needed a change and then she decided a minor upgrade in her life.
When Kathi was living alone and she wanted to get her bathroom fixed. She called in a few contractors and finally selected the cheapest deal to get its renovation done. Not even in her dreams, she had an idea that a shocking discovery will be changing her life forever.
The doorbell rang, Kathi was weak and couldn't even stand upright. She was using her stick and shouted that she is coming. She stood from the bed and dragged herself towards the main door. The contractors were here and they were about to reveal the disturbing truth.
The contractors went upstairs to the bathroom to make the changes. They wanted to quickly get to work while Kathi wanted to take rest. Within five minutes, the contractors called for Kathi loudly and she couldn't understand the reason. The contractors were already aware of Kathi's condition then calling her upstairs was quite harsh on her.
The contractor was confused, the moment Kathi reached there they asked her, “When was your water heater installed?” Kathi wasn't sure she tried to recall and said that it was way before she fell sick and when Ashley was a little girl. Contractor further asked, and Kathi said: “maybe 10 years ago?” The reaction on the contractors' face changed they were taken by disbelief that it has been going on for more than a decade. When they started explaining it all to Kathi she was taken over by shock.
According to these men, the furnace and the water heater were not correctly fixed. Was that in any way connected with Kathi's illness? Well, yes! a decade's old sickness that Kathi was suffering from was because of this mistake. There was a logical explanation that baffled all.
The slight misfit caused carbon monoxide, the poisonous gas was leaking in their home. Carbon monoxide is a harmful gas that is colorless and odorless. One cannot tell if it is in the atmosphere or not. Once exposed, it overtakes oxygen in the blood. And that's where all Kathi's signs were coming from.
Carbon monoxide can directly affect the heart, brain, and vital organs. A little exposure to it can result in fatigue, nausea, headaches, chest pains, and dizziness. In Kathi's case, she was inhaling the life-threatening gas for years which caused vomiting, muscle weakness, fainting, and confusion. It might also cause the death of a person. The question was how Kathi was never diagnosed for a decade?
"I felt like an 80-year-old woman stuck in a 40-year-old body. I would get dizzy, lightheaded, bronchitis, pneumonia. I lost the ability to use my left leg. Then it started moving to my right leg. I would get nervous twitches. I got to the point I couldn't concentrate anymore," Kathi recalls the never-ending years.
"They kept testing and testing and testing and everything kept saying ‘No, no, no, no, you're fine. The more I stayed home, the more I slept, the more I got sick," told Kathi. During these years her husband and daughter were diagnosed with chronic bronchitis and bouts of pneumonia, but the family never thought it all could be connected.
"They were being poisoned. On the ceiling, that's the wrong spot to put it. Carbon monoxide is heavier than air. It would go closer to the floor," told Brothers Contracting's, Mike Evans. "This actually was the worst I've ever seen," told another partner, Duran.
Everything was now making sense to Kathi and her family. “I was shocked,” she said. They came to rescue her when there were no hopes left. Kathi was speechless. Her miseries and the years that she spent in the home can never be compensated but she finally got free from it and was thankful to the angels who saved her from the slow death.
“I want to thank you guys for giving me my life back. They are my angels. They brought my life back to me," tells Kathi who cannot be more grateful to these people. After all, they changed her life forever and for the better.
Ashley was so glad that her mother can finally live a normal life and they'll get their old family back. Years of medicines and tests were not able to do what these contractors do for her. The thing is how will she forgive the whole doctor's team who weren't able to help for years and just kept her charging for nothing!
She can't change what happened but she wanted to make the most out of her life now. Kathi never expected that she'll get everything just when she will get her bathroom fixed. "I feel great. I haven’t been this happy in I can’t tell how long," tells Kathi who got the best gift of her life.
Kathi was criticized for being sick in her head and much more. “For the first time in I don’t know, 8 years, 10 years, I have energy and I almost feel like a kid inside again," told Kathi. Her story is spreading awareness everywhere. We are hoping for the best for the Wilson family.