Toddler's Illness Linked To Lead-Based Paint Toxicity Drives Him, Parents Out Of Their Home; Remediation Estimated At $20K Necessary Before Family Can Resume Residency

In Fond du Loc, Wisconsin, the Fond du Loc Reporter reports:

• One-year-old Charlie Stocks recently became so sick it completely upended his parents Nathan and Cassie's lives, forcing them out of their Fond du Lac home into a hotel. The culprit? Lead poisoning.
  
  A physician discovered Charlie's blood-lead levels were well beyond the threshold for hospitalization during a routine check-up through Women, Infants and Children (WIC) May 21. Preliminary results showed his levels were 48.8 mcg/dL, almost five times the amount when medical care is recommended, according to the New York State Department of Health.
  
  The Stocks went to their pediatrician-recommended lab to double check the test results. The new results showed Charlie had 44 mcg/dL in his blood. After more tests the next day, the Stocks were told Charlie immediately needed to be taken to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
  
  The X-ray at the hospital showed paint chips on the side of his stomach. Charlie had been eating the lead-based paint on the windowsill of the Stocks' house on West Scott Street. The hospital immediately gave Charlie medicine and an IV.
  
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  After he was released, more problems followed. Charlie's parents were told he could not return home until all the lead-based paint was removed from the house and it passed inspection.
  
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  A building inspector has helped the Stocks assess the lead damage in their home. Five upstairs windows, two downstairs windows, the door, and a few other locations need to be replaced, stripped and painted, or painted over with protective paint. However, under state law, the Stocks have to hire a certified lead abatement contractor to make all of the repairs.
  
  All of this is costly. Nathan said he estimates the cost of the home repair will be around $20,000. There are also hospital bills to pay, food to purchase for the family, and gas to purchase so Nathan can get to and from work.
  
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  Nathan Stocks has set up a GoFundMe.com page, a crowdfunding website for many causes, to raise money to fix his house so his family can return home. As of Friday, they had raised $500 from 17 donations, plus personal donations from family and friends. To help, visit http://e.gofund.me/v3kes3u8.

For more, see Lead poisoning forces family from home.