A healthy young woman became increasingly sick after starting college last fall, scaring and confusing her parents until they discovered the frightening suspected cause - mold in her dorm room.
Now, the infuriated parents of Isabella Villegas are demanding that San Diego State University cancel the lease the family paid for upfront and reimburse them for those costs, as well as their daughter's hefty medical bills.
The family lives in the area, but Isabella decided to move into the dorm because she was excited to start college and wanted the full experience.
Isabella's mother, Shannon Villegas, told NBC San Diego that her daughter's symptoms began almost immediately after moving into the Zura Hall dormitory.
'She woke up, stuffed up. Then it turned into nasal congestion, turned into a cough, turned into sleeping endless hours,' Shannon told the outlet. 'And this is a child who never slept more than seven hours.'
Speaking to KGTV, the mother further detailed her daughter's extensive symptoms, which included 'a cold, runny nose, congestion, sore throat, a cough. She was waking up with migraines.'
The college freshman spent her first semester in and out of the hospital, as doctors tried to figure out what was wrong.
On one particularly scary occasion, Isabella's father, Andre Villegas, had to take his daughter to the emergency room at 3am so that doctors could 'figure out why half her throat was closing,' Shannon told NBC San Diego.
Isabella Villegas, a student at San Diego State University, became increasingly sick after starting college. Her parents suspect the cause was mold in her dorm room
Isabella's parents, Andre and Shannon Villegas, are demanding that the university reimburse the cost of the dorm lease and their hefty medical expenses
About a month after Isabella daughter moved into her dorm, her parents visited and took photos of black mold in the air vents
Isabella's illness was serious enough that doctors determined she required surgery for peritonsillar abscesses, which is a severe infection that causes pus to fill the area between the tonsil and throat muscles.
The college freshman's parents also said that she required an emergency tonsillectomy, which is a procedure to remove a patient's tonsils when they are struggling to breathe or have severe infections.
The parents visited their daughter's dorm room about a month after she moved in and took photos and videos of black mold that was present in the air vents.
They suspected the mold to be the cause of Isabella's illness, as her health would return to normal anytime she returned home.
Doctors agreed with the parents' suspicion, as the freshman's symptoms aligned with those caused by mold infections.
Isabella moved out of the dorm and back to her parents' home in February, and her health has improved dramatically since then.
But the college freshman is still locked into a year-long lease that the university thus far has not allowed her to cancel, let alone reimburse. The young woman paid for the lease in advance with grant and scholarship money, according to the family.
Her father, Andre, said that the university has been 'ghosting' them, and that it has 'slowballed us the whole way through so far, and we've heard nothing.'
Isabella spent the first semester of her freshman year in and out of the hospital as doctors tried to figure out what was wrong. She is pictured (center) with friends
Isabella moved out of the dorm and back in with her parents in February, and her health has improved dramatically since then. She is pictured with her mother
Isabella's room was in San Diego State University's Zura Hall (pictured). The university has said it conducted inspections of the room and found no mold after it was cleaned
In a lengthy statement to KGTV, San Diego State University said it could not provide 'specific details about an individual student’s situation' but admitted that there have been 'three service requests during the fall semester related to a concern about possible mold in [Isabella's] residential unit.'
The university added that after inspections were conducted, it discovered 'suspected microbial growth from dust and moisture, which can happen when the AC is running while the window is left open.'
The dorm room was cleaned, and a third-party determined that 'no mold was present in the unit,' the statement said.
San Diego State University said it takes reports of suspected mold growth 'very seriously' and that reports should be made through the university's housing portal.
The university concluded its statement by addressing the family's request to cancel the lease, saying that 'requests, including those based on medical circumstances, are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and require appropriate supporting documentation.'
Isabella's parents told KGTV that they have followed all the steps required by the university, including providing medical documents, but they have still been ignored, and the lease remains in effect.
The Daily Mail has reached out to San Diego State University for further comment.