Cancer Patient Faces Eviction Over Bed Bugs
By: Brittney Johnson, KARK 4 News
Updated: October 8, 2012
A Jacksonville apartment complex is racing to beat a bed bug infestation before it spreads through its buildings. To help, management is evicting an elderly man who's being bitten by the bugs in his apartment, but his family is fighting back.
Antonio Merayo says it was roughly one month after moving into Oakwood apartments, when he started noticing bumps, itchy and irritating, all over.
"There was rash on his arm and this on my back my arm," he and his son Alex described.
Concerned, the cancer patient went to his doctor.
"He said what is this rash all over me is it maybe something I'm taking my medication or something, and he said no something is biting you," his son explained.
Sixty-three year-old Merayo says he is now battling stage four cancer and his apartment complex. After his appointment he started searching for the source and found these little bugs that only seemed to creep out at night.
He captured video on his phone, preserved the ones he killed and took his concerns to management.
They sent the exterminator and a list of what to do before the exterminator comes.
"You have to throw away all your box springs and mattresses all your furniture," said Alex.
A letter from management instructed him to clear out his clothes, bedding, any infected furniture, and pay $400 by the next day.
Sick and on a fixed income, the family says management wants money, resources and energy Merayo says he just doesn't have.
By Friday when they saw he hadn't moved a thing, they sent an eviction notice further depressing him.
"Humanity, I got cancer, I don't know how long I'll stay alive," said Merayo.
In a phone interview the apartment's attorney said, " We cannot risk everyone's potential health by having a tenant who has a serious health problem but refuses to remedy that."
The apartment blames Merayo for the bugs, he claims he's never had a problem. His old apartment complex confirms he never had bed bug problems. Bug Masters confirms his current apartment complex does not have an issue outside of his apartment..
Hoping for the best, his family says this is the last thing he needs as he tries to live out what could be his last days with dignity.
Antonio Merayo says it was roughly one month after moving into Oakwood apartments, when he started noticing bumps, itchy and irritating, all over.
"There was rash on his arm and this on my back my arm," he and his son Alex described.
Concerned, the cancer patient went to his doctor.
"He said what is this rash all over me is it maybe something I'm taking my medication or something, and he said no something is biting you," his son explained.
Sixty-three year-old Merayo says he is now battling stage four cancer and his apartment complex. After his appointment he started searching for the source and found these little bugs that only seemed to creep out at night.
He captured video on his phone, preserved the ones he killed and took his concerns to management.
They sent the exterminator and a list of what to do before the exterminator comes.
"You have to throw away all your box springs and mattresses all your furniture," said Alex.
A letter from management instructed him to clear out his clothes, bedding, any infected furniture, and pay $400 by the next day.
Sick and on a fixed income, the family says management wants money, resources and energy Merayo says he just doesn't have.
By Friday when they saw he hadn't moved a thing, they sent an eviction notice further depressing him.
"Humanity, I got cancer, I don't know how long I'll stay alive," said Merayo.
In a phone interview the apartment's attorney said, " We cannot risk everyone's potential health by having a tenant who has a serious health problem but refuses to remedy that."
The apartment blames Merayo for the bugs, he claims he's never had a problem. His old apartment complex confirms he never had bed bug problems. Bug Masters confirms his current apartment complex does not have an issue outside of his apartment..
Hoping for the best, his family says this is the last thing he needs as he tries to live out what could be his last days with dignity.
