Woman’s life forever altered after Flint water crisis

FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - Flint residents are speaking out after the state announced a $600 million settlement in the Flint water crisis.

“Most of us got heavily dosed. I had 10,000 PPB in some spots in my home, in some places,” said Christina Sayyae, Flint resident.

For her, life after the Flint water crisis has been anything but easy. She said the symptoms of being poisoned by lead-tainted water still haunts her.

“Shaking, tremors, sweating, extreme fatigue, weight loss, pain all over my entire body,” Sayyae said.

She said her entire family, including her children and family pets, got sick from drinking tap water.

“How many babies, sisters and brothers, grandmas and grandpas do we have to bury before somebody’s actually going to care,” Sayyae asked.

She said she is now doing chelation therapy to try to get rid of the toxic metals left behind in her body, which isn’t cheap. She said it will cost more than $20,000 after she finishes treatment. She said her children might need it at some point too.

So when it comes to the $600 million being awarded to Flint from the state, she said it’s a slap in the face.

“This money is supposed to be divided up between over 28,000 people,” Sayyae said.

It’s still not clear how much every person in Flint would get from the settlement. It will be another 45 to 60 days before a lot of it is figured out.

One thing is certain, Sayyae’s life after the crisis will never be the same.

“We were an active family. We ran and played with our kids. And now I had to kind of switch how I interact with my children. Now I can just sit on the couch and read a book and do something that’s less active,” she said.