Miranda, Meriah, Adahm, and Morelle

Discovery –

 The discovery of lead toxins in her home was a gradual and frightening process for Jocelyn.  She began to notice that something was going wrong with several of her six children.  They seemed to be frequently tired and had lost their appetites.  She took them to the doctor who administered lead tests for them.  The tests concluded that Miranda, her seven-year-old, Meriah, her four-year-old, Adahm, her three-year-old, and Morelle, her one-year-old infant were all lead poisoned and they needed to be admitted to the hospital.  Only the two older children, the 14-year-old boy and the 11-year-old girl and the adults in the house were not lead poisoned.  She remembers the diagnosis as a terrifying experience.

 The City’s Lead Unit was notified and staff there got in touch with Jocelyn to help her deal with this difficult situation.  The house her family was renting was carefully inspected and tests showed lead hazards both inside and outside the home.

Impact –

 In order to protect her children, Jocelyn and her family were forced to move.  Their move to a new house has been only one of the many costs they had to pay for as they discovered the impact and prevalence of dangerous lead hazards in housing build before 1978.

 The lives of Jocelyn and her family have changed quite a bit in the past two years.  They moved to a new house in Northeast Ohio and had to assume a different life routine that included periodic visits to the doctor, medications, and learning how to deal with the fear of seeing her family permanently damaged by this hazard that has affected many Ohio families.

Future –

Not only was Jocelyn’s family affected financially and physically, but also her children missed many days of school due to the lead poisoning of the 4 siblings.  They also continued to face the threat of permanent damage because of the poisoning.  “I wish I didn’t have to worry so much about the consequences of lead,” says Jocelyn, “but I’m always wondering how this is going to effect their future.”

Jocelyn thinks that if she has been informed about this hazard, things would have been much different.  Therefore she urges authorities to address this problem and educate people before it is too late for other parents and children.