On September 11, 2001, Chad and I had just moved to Portland and were making our way into the city to get an ultrasound for our third child. It had taken us a year to get pregnant with this one, and after two girls, I was excited to find out who would be joining our family. Just as our doctor was finding the correct body parts, we were made aware of what was happening clear across the United States, and the hospital decided to shut down all unnecessary procedures. The doctor quickly had us out the door, with a brief reassurance that our daughter looked fine and they’d schedule another ultrasound later. When the world was safer.

That was a tough year for a lot of people. We were just beginning to realize our home, which we had rented for the year, was growing black mold everywhere, and the health side effects were just peeking through. I was endlessly sick, simple colds wouldn’t release their hold from the girls, and I was endlessly bleaching the walls to keep the mold at bay.

In the end, I’m not sure what did the most damage: the mold or the bleach. To this day the smell of bleach makes me sick to my stomach. And it probably wasn’t the best choice for mold removal but I didn’t know that at the time.

Our third daughter was born. She was sick from the start and never got better until we moved and she was away from the toxins for awhile. She and I were hit hardest. I ended up going blind from inflammation in my optic nerves, which very well could have been because of the overload of toxins (but that’s a different story).

So I knew I wanted a different approach to a healthy home but I wasn’t quite sure what that looked like. I began my search. Fast forward a few years and I started hearing about essential oils. I didn’t believe a word of it.

But I hadn’t found anything else I really loved so I started small and just tried a few things. They worked so I tried some more. Over time, they have become an essential part of our household in fighting the toxins of the world. Whether it’s the toxins of modern day medicine (which I still use but never as a first choice), household cleaning products, skincare, or shampoo, I now have a replacement for any and everything that could hurt my body. Which is good, because we’re finding that toxins cause more oxidative stress in our bodies, which leads to over 200 different diseases. No wonder sicknesses like cancer, gene mutations, and mental health issues continue to grow.

In the beginning, there was a house, and the house wasn’t safe. But now my house truly is.