A healthy young woman became increasingly sick after starting college last fall, alarming her parents until they discovered the suspected cause: mold in her dorm room. Now, Isabella Villegas's parents are demanding that San Diego State University cancel the lease they paid upfront and reimburse them for those costs along with their daughter's substantial medical bills.
The family resides locally, but Isabella chose to live on campus to embrace the full college experience. Her mother, Shannon Villegas, told NBC San Diego that symptoms began almost immediately after moving into Zura Hall. 'She woke up, stuffed up. Then it turned into nasal congestion, a cough, and sleeping endless hours,' Shannon recounted. 'And this is a child who never slept more than seven hours.'
Speaking to KGTV, Shannon detailed further symptoms, including 'a cold, runny nose, congestion, sore throat, a cough. She was waking up with migraines.' The freshman spent her first semester in and out of the hospital as doctors investigated. On one alarming occasion, her father, Andre Villegas, rushed her to the emergency room at 3 a.m. because 'half her throat was closing,' Shannon explained.
About a month into the semester, Isabella's parents visited and photographed black mold in the air vents. They suspected mold as the cause, noting her health improved whenever she returned home. Doctors concurred, as her symptoms aligned with mold infections. Isabella's condition was severe enough to require surgery for peritonsillar abscesses—a serious infection causing pus between the tonsil and throat muscles—and an emergency tonsillectomy due to breathing difficulties.
Isabella moved out in February and her health has dramatically improved. However, she remains locked into a year-long lease paid with grant and scholarship money. The university has not allowed cancellation or reimbursement. Andre said the university has been 'ghosting' them and 'slowballed us the whole way.'
In a statement, San Diego State University acknowledged three service requests about possible mold in Isabella's unit but stated that after cleaning, a third-party found no mold present. The university said it takes mold reports seriously and reviews lease cancellation requests on a case-by-case basis with appropriate documentation. The Villegas family insists they have provided medical documents but have been ignored. The Daily Mail has sought further comment from the university.
