This story first appeared in the Post-Gazette's South edition.

For little Jake Lannin, hope comes in the form of a clean, mold-free house.

The 4-year-old Peters boy has leukemia and had been in remission for three years until this year, when a series of setbacks may have led to a relapse that is being treated with chemotherapy.

Jake's family is sponsoring a fund-raiser Saturday, but it's not for the boy's medical bills. The Lannins need to raise at least $10,000 to remove toxic molds from their Railroad Street home so they can sell it.

Two weeks after flooding from Hurricane Ivan last fall, the Lannins purchased, for about $75,000, a two-story vinyl siding farmhouse near Finleyville. Neighboring homes had been flooded, including two that were condemned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and later demolished. So, the Lannins assumed the house they planned to buy had sustained some damage too, said Kristi Lannin, Jake's mom.

But Mrs. Lannin said the family was assured that the home had not been flooded, and no damage was apparent. Still, the 100-year-old house needed months of renovation before the Lannins could move in. Some of the work included installing a new kitchen, laying carpeting and applying fresh paint.

But, as appliances began to fail, it soon became obvious the home had sustained serious flood damage. Mrs. Lannin said servicemen hired by a home warranty company discovered the furnace and hot water heater had been completely submerged, and the warranty company refused to pay for the damage.

The family moved into the house in February, and soon afterward, doctors at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh found a mold called Aspergillus growing on Jake's arm and in his lungs. The basement of the home was tested and was found to contain Aspergillus and another toxic mold, Cladosporium.

At the same time, Jake relapsed into leukemia.

"Whether one thing had anything to do with the other no one will ever know," Mrs. Lannin said.

Because of Jake's sensitive immune system, the mold was life-threatening, Mrs. Lannin said. The mold had to be treated, and his cancer had to be in remission before Jake could be a candidate for a bone-marrow transplant.

Jake's lung and arm infections are gone now, thanks to intravenous antifungals and 18 hours a day of intravenous hydration. But Jake may have to continue the antifungal treatment for years, Mrs. Lannin said.

In the meantime, the Lannins received an estimate of more than $10,000 for mold remediation in their home.

The family said that doctors had recommended that Jake never return to the home, so they are hoping to sell it and purchase another. Mrs. Lannin, along with husband Chuck Lannin and their daughter, Olivia, 2, also have been ill with cold and flulike symptoms.

Mrs. Lannin said after his transplant, Jake will need a sterile environment. For now, the Lannins are staying with a family in the area.

The Lannins are struggling with Jake's medical bills, medicine and a mortgage on a house they can no longer live in, according to Mrs. Lannin's sister, Tracy Bycznski. Mr. Lannin works as a manager for the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co., in Greensburg.

Ms. Bycznski is helping to organize a dance at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Peters Township Fire Hall to help raise money for the mold removal. It will feature a disc jockey, door prizes, a ticket auction, food, beer and a cash bar. Tickets cost $20 and can be purchased in advance or at the door.

For tickets, contact Ms. Bycznski at 724-941-3000 or stop in at Prudential Preferred Realty, 1001 Waterdam Plaza Drive, McMurray.