A "perfectly healthy" woman was diagnosed with dementia caused by a secret mould infestation in her home.
Amie Skilton, who was just 37, suddenly found she could no longer even remember her own name.
She and her husband had moved into an apartment in Manly, New South Wales, Australia, in 2016 but faulty waterproofing in the shower meant water was constantly leaking under the carpet.
Naturopath and nutritionist Amie, now 42, started feeling unwell two months after moving in.
It was over a hot summer, however, and the couple didn't notice how serious the leaking was every time they ran the water.
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Due to a genetic vulnerability to mould toxins Amie later discovered the prolonged exposure caused a “systematic breakdown” of her body.
She began to notice chronic allergies and suddenly put on 10kg in weight "out of nowhere" while struggling with bad fatigue.
And over the next few months Amie's brain functions also declined.
She was eventually referred to a neurologist who diagnosed her with type three Alzheimer's disease, also known as inhalational Alzheimer's.
Amie told the New York Post: “Some days I couldn’t figure out how to get dressed. I would look at clothes and I just be really confused as to like how to put them on."
She regularly drove to the shops on her Vespa scooter only to later forget where she'd parked, and the keys were often left in the ignition.
But the most worrying symptom was when she forgot her own name which felt "deeply personal".
Amie said: "I went to fill out a form one day and I was staring at the box that said my name and I was like what is it again?"
And because she was unaware of the mould build-up, all her medical tests kept coming back all clear and she was "brushed off".
Amie said mould-related conditions are not something many health professionals are trained in, meaning, like many people, she was initially diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia.
Due to a few happy coincidences, however, she began to piece together what might be going on.
Her pal posted online about her husband having the 'mould gene' and they had found a leak in their flat which severely impacted his health.
Remembering there being a leak in the garage below their apartment mentioned when they moved in, Amie called in a building biologist to do an assessment.
They discovered the water was leaking under their carpet and all the way into the bedroom and study.
The carpet appeared from the top like there was nothing wrong but on lifting it up it was black with mould.
Taking off her mattress cover, Amie was also horrified to find her mattress was green with mould too.
She then confronted the real estate company who acknowledged they had known about the leak for months and had been in discussions with the property owner, she claims.
"They knew and it was poisoning us," said Amie.
But at the same time she could get specific inflammatory markers tested, as well as a particular group of genes encoded by the human leukocyte antigen, making everything "100 percent clear".
Five years later Amie has moved to a new home and her brain function is back to normal.
She is also now a qualified Mould Testing Technician and aims to use her knowledge to educate others.
