Our book is done and will be released Saturday, October 22. Yahoo!!!!
Our friend wrote this lovely forward for the book:
Foreword (to Building a House for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity)
Shelter. It is a basic need for human life. Without it, we cannot live for long.
Home. It is more than shelter, more than four walls and a roof to stop the wind and the rain. It is something we don’t even realize we need until it is gone. It is security. It is safe. A stable center to which we know we can always return. Without a home, it can be very hard to thrive.
Those of us who have suffered from environmental illnesses sometimes cannot bear to admit how much we really miss home. How much we need it. Many of us have felt this loss of home even when we have lived in beautiful houses, because our houses no longer felt safe for us. We can end up bouncing around from house to house, apartment to apartment, and wonder if we’ll ever have that feeling again. Safe, stable, secure.
Most of us who have suffered with environmental illnesses are long past caring about fancy kitchens with granite counter tops and hardwood floors. We don’t think much about sconces or chandeliers; about built-in bookshelves or walk-in closets.
We just want to be safe. To heal. To be able to let go.
Christa was very ill when her MCS-friendly, mold-resistant house was being built. Her MCS and EMF sensitivities were off the charts. Her breathing was labored, her heart rate was tachycardic, and her energy was down to nothing. Many days, her husband Steve had to help her to complete the simplest self-care tasks.
And yet, in the midst of her suffering, she thought of us. She knew that she was not alone in needing a stable, safe housing option to heal. And so, despite her physical and emotional exhaustion, she took the time to carefully chronicle the entire build.
She made sure each step was photographed and made notes on every minor detail. She made sure to write down her reasons why she did something and also why she did not.
This treasure-trove of brilliant ideas, tips, and insights is now available for us in Christa’s book, Building a House for MCS. From details on how they made their shallow, frost-protected foundation, to DIY lessons on applying plaster and laying tile, it is jam-packed with the kind of wisdom only experience can give.
I have loved living in my cargo van and will always want a mobile option. But I still dream of a real home, too. When I build my own home someday, a place where I can finally have a piano and a cat again, this book will be a treasured and oft-consulted resource. It is a smart and hopeful guide written for someone like me by someone like me.
Sara Riley Mattson
Author of Camp Like a Girl: Finding Health and Wellness in Nature and Migraine: Finding My Own Way Out
Isn’t that just beautiful?
You can pre-order the book HERE, and it will show up on your Kindle app on Saturday.
(You can get a free Kindle app for just about every electronic device out there. Except the microwave. LOL)
Christa Upton Black Hills Picture Books Edgemont, SD 57735
