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I met Toni Temple and her family in 1978. We became good friends, as well as business associates, and socialized on frequent occasions. She displayed no visible signs of illness and seemed to be in good health during this time.
I had occasion to work with her and observe her in a business setting in the early 1980's while she was Director of Administration for three state trade associations.
Her health began to gradually deteriorate and, in the late 1980's, she became extremely ill and was no longer able to function. Physicians could find no cause for her health related problems. At this time, no one seemed to believe that she was sick, but I saw physical evidence such as lesions, rashes, swelling and shortness of breath.
Her physicians wouldn't believe that zinc chloride was poisoning Toni, even though she furnished them with numerous reports from the chemists who analyzed the dust sample from her home and furnace. She struggled unsuccessfully to find medical assistance, going from doctor to doctor, until finally, her immune system became irreversibly damaged. Toni became totally disabled in 1990 and now suffers from extreme chemical sensitivities, anemia and chronic blood clotting problems as a result of her exposures to chemicals. Had physicians believed her and detected this earlier, perhaps she would not have been permanently damaged and have been spared from this debilitating disease.
Her life today is a series of struggles to accomplish the simplest of tasks. The difference in her former life and the one she must live today is incomparable.
-Lynda Cline, An educator and a good friend.
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