Dear community,

We write to you today with an uncharacteristically vulnerable share about what's been happening for our family over the last year. Though we generally try not to draw attention to or focus too much on the difficulties of our life, we have reached a point where our current challenges feel like too much to carry on our own. We have seen the incredible ways the people we know show up for each other, been inspired by the strength, courage, and resilience of the community in which we live, and are touched by the love and dedication of our families. We are sharing our story here both to bring greater awareness to our current situation and the challenges we are facing, and, to open ourselves up to receiving more support. We believe in the power of community, and hope that you have seen how we walk that walk with dedication in our own lives. By opening up, we hope to deepen our connection with family and friends, and give life to our commitment to being part of a shared story with the people that surround us.

The first important piece of our story and current situation is that in these last few years, Ashley has been experiencing some rather extreme challenges with her health. The journey she's been on has been a long one, but the basics of it are that after experiencing years of chronic symptoms and fatigue, she finally got diagnosed with Lyme, a few co-infections and mold exposure. She's had a rough go of it, dealing with a lot of unpredictability and a wide range of symptoms, all while trying to keep it together and carry on as mom, practitioner/business owner, DJ and administrator of Wild Soul (the nature connection program we started for our kids). Orley was diagnosed with Lyme also, explaining some recurrent mystery symptoms he's had since he was a baby, and Ayla and Kyler, though they don't have the Lyme part, have also been affected by some of the co-infections and mold to varying degrees, experiencing low-grade, chronic symptoms. Though the treatments were difficult for us to afford, we had been working with a great alternative practitioner and were starting to make some progress with it all when the next piece of this story came into play.

Last winter, we discovered that we had active mold in our house. At first we thought it was only a minor problem, and confined to a few small areas. After more exploration and research, however, it soon became clear that it was more of an issue than we realized, which was definitely affecting our health and well-being. It was a heart-breaking discovery, for several reasons. Our house, which we had so recently built with so much love and intention, in large part to create a safe, clean and supportive environment for our family, had now become a source of toxicity and ill-health. We had also just spent loads of time, energy and money working to heal from previous mold exposures, following a special diet, taking herbs and supporting our body's detoxification processes. To find out we were being exposed to mold again on the daily was like a punch in the gut. At that time, we still didn't really realize how bad the situation was, and continued living in the house. It took us a while to figure out that the combination of several unfortunate factors had come together to create a systemic problem in many parts of our home, including areas where it wasn't visible. Now that we understand the extent of what's going on, we know that in order to make the necessary repairs and prevent the problem from happening again, we will need to deconstruct the whole interior of our house, cleaning and replacing sheeting, studs and insulation, and put it all back together again. This project will be costly and time-consuming, likely taking months to complete. In the meantime, we will need to find an alternative place to live while also addressing the health issues that have been exacerbated as a result of our exposure.

Which leads to the next part of the story - the part where we ask for some help from our amazing community of friends and family! Here are the ways we need support:

First, we need a clean and comfortable place to live, that is low or no cost. With all the money going into the repairs and remediation, plus continuing to pay rent for the land where our house is located, we just don't have the resources to pay for accommodations elsewhere. We would love to find something in or near Mancos or Durango, available for the fall and maybe the winter too. We are open to house-sitting/land care opportunities. With the health challenges Ashley is experiencing, anything too off-grid or rustic will not work. If you have any leads on this front, please get in touch!

Second, we would also welcome help with the labor in the de- and re-construction phases. If you feel like you can support us in this way, please let Kyler know.

Also, If you have the means, we would gratefully accept financial contributions towards the cost of the remediation and repairs, continued health support and treatments for us all, temporary housing/transition time expenses, and replacing the many clothing and household items we have had to throw away due to mold toxicity.

And even if you can't contribute in any of these ways, you can help us by spreading the word! The more people our story reaches, the more likely we are to find the resources we need.

Finally, if you feel motivated to help in another way, we welcome all offers! We know this is a talented and inspired community!

It is our hope that by asking for help, we can experience these circumstances as ease-fully as possible. We believe we can heal our bodies and our home and feel supported along the way.

Thank you for reading and participating as you feel called, be that in action, word, helping share our story or simply sending love our way. We are so grateful for the community that surrounds us, and for all the ways we have been able to participate in and be part of all of your lives.

Ashley, Kyler, Ayla and Orley