And Mrs. Spitalny thought she had an eye infection, which she did not want to spread to her family. “When the water started rising, we said, ‘Maybe we made a mistake,’” Mr. Spitalny, 66, recalled. Mr. Spitalny was experiencing complications from asthma, and Mrs. Spitalny was also examined. Mold and construction debris from surrounding buildings wreaked havoc on Mr. Spitalny’s asthma, which he first attributed to stress. Before retiring, Mrs. Spitalny worked at a mikvah, a Jewish ritual bath, and Mr. Spitalny was a repairman and worked in kosher supervision.

Source: New York Times October 28, 2017 15:00 UTC