A leak in our bathroom caused toxic mold, and no amount of renovation could fix it. Eventually we had to move.

• After a night of heavy rain, we noticed mold in our bathroom.
• We spent months trying to fix the problem, but it wouldn't go away and took a toll on my family.

By the look of our home and the way we went about our daily routine, you'd never think we'd develop mold.

Our suburban ranch house was clean, well-maintained, and uncluttered, with stain-free walls and ceilings. We dried the floor after supervising enthusiastic toddler baths and replaced the dishwasher after one leak. But in our case, regular maintenance didn't prevent toxic mold.

Two decades ago, heavy rains created a small, one-cup leak on our bathroom floor. A strong odor, similar to that of wet socks, radiated from the shower wall within days. My husband discovered black mold after he removed the baseboards and part of the wall. He cleaned and discarded the moldy debris, but within a week we couldn't breathe well enough to sleep in our bedroom.

Dealing with the mold

I expected the odor to disappear once my husband removed the entire shower, but it got worse. Unfortunately, thick plastic sheeting covering the bedroom hallway didn't deter the progression of the horrific stench from the primary bath throughout the house. The air was densely packed with suspended particles that glistened in the sunlight, but no visible mold growth remained.

Ozone treatments, additional cleaning, and opening windows and doors didn't remove the smell or the thick, offensive air. It was so strong that the entire living quarters were affected, making it hard to breathe. Our family of five carried our mattresses out to the living room.

We were lucky our insurance covered mold testing and remediation. One month after the leak, our insurance company ordered our evacuation because professional test results revealed high levels of toxic molds, including Stachybotrys, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, and more. Our home was deemed unsafe for human habitation.

We moved to a bed-and-breakfast and began vetting remediation firms, hopeful we'd return to a clean home in a few months. Eight months later, we moved to two travel trailers parked in the yard. We gave up when five professional remediations over 22 months were not enough to rid our home of mold. We disclosed our mold test results and sold the house for the value of the lot, then left for a drier climate. Thankfully, we've remained mold-free ever since.

Toxic-mold remediation is difficult, and sometimes several professional remediations aren't enough. In our case, mold remained even after gutting much of the house, including three bathrooms, the kitchen, and the utility room. Some people (including celebrities like Sandra Bullock, Muhammad Ali, Ed McMahon, Michael Jordan, and Suzanne Somers) address mold by moving and filing lawsuits, whereas other people feel they have no choice but to burn their homes.

We learned firsthand the damage toxic mold can do

Mold exposure can cause a host of symptoms, including sneezing, coughing, postnasal drip, red eyes, body aches and pains, memory loss, and in severe cases, shortness of breath and fever. In our case, mold made it hard for us to process information — neither my husband nor I could concentrate in our house. My husband couldn't count to 10 without forgetting what number he was on. Thankfully, our mental ability returned when away from the house, but the experience was frightening and we were concerned about the long-term effects for us and our children.

Our good health prior to the mold didn't protect us from mycotoxins, which has been the case for other families. "While most molds cause normal allergic reactions, the dozen or so toxic molds can make otherwise healthy people very sick," said Dr. William Weirs, a functional medicine specialist who practices at the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine in North Charleston, South Carolina.

When we voiced fears about our children's brain health to their pediatrician in 2002, we were told not to worry and that "mold is everywhere." Weirs said the "majority of doctors aren't trained to look for the toxic effects of mold."

It's still difficult to get treatment for mold-related symptoms and illnesses, even though mold has been tied to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, chronic fatigue, and neurological symptoms including memory loss, brain fog, vertigo, and balance issues. The good news is that once patients remediate the mold or leave the location, "with proper treatment, victims can recover from mold illness," Weirs said. He said he's seen "more mainstream recognition of mold illness over the last four years, with more physicians referring patients to him for treatment."

While our mold situation was extreme, we are far from the only ones who've struggled with toxic mold. Tens of thousands of people who've experienced mold exposure and its devastating effects have joined Facebook groups for support and advice on rediscovering health and wellness, tips for remediating their homes and cleaning possessions, and more.