It's referred to by some as an invisible disability. It has no look, requires no specific language and you’re unable to recognize someone who suffers with it. CBS 21 introduces you to a local woman who has learned how to live well with this disability; a disability that for some, keeps them secluded from life.
To do this story, my photographer Todd and I couldn’t use perfume, deodorant, not even body lotion. Instead we were given special shampoo, body wash, and even special laundry detergent to wash our clothes in. I wasn’t even able to wear makeup.
30 miles North of Harrisburg, nestled quietly in the mountains of Perry County, sits this quaint home. From the outside it looks like any other ordinary home, but inside it's far from ordinary. To Nancy Firestone, it's her survival.
You see, many years ago, Nancy believed she was suffering from severe allergies.
"I called it allergies because I didn't know what it was, but it wasn't like other people who had allergies it wasn't runny nose and itchy eyes,” says Nancy.
Nancy had incredible, debilitating pain; pain so bad, she couldn't function for days at a time. That's when she started researching.
"I was really working hard to save my life because I was deteriorating," says Nancy.
With the help of many doctors, Nancy discovered what she had, was Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, or Chemical Injury. Her body is unable rid itself of every day chemicals on its own; things like cleaners, deodorant, even a faint residue of fragrance.
"Sometimes I have inflammation in my intestines and my liver and it feels like there's not room to breathe,” says Nancy. “Sometimes it's brain-fog--not being able to think."
What could have turned into a life of seclusion for Nancy became a quest.
Through it she found that her medication did not come in the form of a pill. Instead, the answer was in the form of a house. Her "Health House" is considered the most stringent in the nation for health, durability and energy efficiency--with a certificate to prove it.
"It was designed for this disability to minimize chemicals and have high level of indoor air quality," says Nancy.
Nancy's house is filled with carefully selected products---solid woods, metals, organic cotton bedding.
At night, when the body does its best detoxifying, Nancy uses oxygen to help it along. With its complex filtration system, the health house is able pull air in, the window's are sealed tight, the entire home pressurized---keeping all the bad air out.
Nancy lives on a very specific diet of all organic, fresh products because it’s very healing for the body. She rids organic fabrics of any chemical residue by soaking it in powered milk. It's a complete life-style adjustment; one that allows her, to finally live.
"I wouldn't be able to live well with a disability and be as productive as what I am,” says Nancy. “This house has helped me move from really having very little function in my life to being able to be out now and become part of the community."
Nancy works closely with the American Lung Association and uses the Health House to educate others, working for policies around chemicals so others can function.
Right now, there are three people with chemical sensitivities living with Nancy at the Health House, recovering.
If you’d like to learn more about Chemical Sensitivities, click
here.
