The Kalko family of Toledo is dealing with their moldy home. “We could probably crack open any one of these walls and it would be full of mold,” says Bonnie Kalko, age 44. Her daughter suffers from allergies. They ought to move, but do not have the money and owe $40,000 on their house. At least the mold has seemingly been bearable overall to the family – until now.
Bonnie Kalko’s pancreas has stopped functioning. She can get a new pancreas, but the organ transplant would leave her body defenseless against the mold. The mold, which is now only a nuisance, would become deadly to her without a healthy immune system to fight off the infection.
Transplant patients like Bonnie must have their immune systems suppressed with medications. Otherwise, her body will treat the new organ as a foreign object and attack it. This is normally a good thing because it keeps out infectious invaders, like mold spores and toxins. But in this case, Bonnie needs her body to accept the new organ.
Now Bonnie Kalko has to refuse the crucial transplant, simply because she would have nowhere to go after receiving the new pancreas. A diabetic since age 11, Bonnie will have to strictly control her blood sugar levels to prevent medical problems.
So who can be blamed for the Kalko’s situation? Attorney Philip Bazzo names the city of Toledo and Lucas County among the defendants in the impending lawsuit. Bazzo will represent more than 100 households in the West Toledo neighborhood who have had their homes flooded over 8 times since 2006 by the Shantee Creek.
The city now plans to spend $3 million to widen the creek to prevent future flooding. But it’s too late for the Kalkos and other families who have spent money out of their own pockets to pay for the damages, or not at all.
In the meantime, Bonnie Kalko will have to rely on the kindness of anyone who can offer up residence for her during the three months after her surgery when she will be most vulnerable to infections.
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