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Exclusive: ‘The loss of a loved one is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the Gafoor family,’ an Airbnb spokesperson told The Independent
Justin RohrlichWednesday 03 December 2025 17:59 GMT
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A cancer patient staying at an Airbnb while he underwent chemotherapy at a nearby hospital came down with a deadly infection after spending just four nights in the home, thanks to toxic mold in one of the home’s air conditioners, the man’s grieving relatives contend.
Mohamad Mustafa Gafoor, 67, was “severely immunocompromised” by acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or “ALL,” according to a $1 million-plus wrongful death lawsuit filed last week by his widow, Bebi, and adult son Imtiaz.
The disease, a blood cancer that starts in a person’s bone marrow and spreads rapidly without treatment, has a five-year survival rate of about 70 percent. However, for someone suffering from ALL, being exposed to “any mold/fungi [can be] life-threatening,” the suit says, explaining that aspergillus, the specific mold allegedly present in the A/C unit, is especially dangerous for someone in Gafoor’s situation.
Gafoor came down with invasive fungal sinusitis as a result, bringing about his untimely demise, the lawsuit claims.
Attorney Philip Koelsch, who is representing the family, told The Independent that the Gafoors have “endured a tremendous loss, and the circumstances detailed in the petition speak for themselves.”
“Our firm is appalled that the Airbnb property where Mr. Gafoor stayed during his cancer treatment was infested with mold – a dangerous condition that is often fatal for immunocompromised cancer patients,” Koelsch said.
open image in galleryMohamad Mustafa Gafoor, 67, was 'severely immunocompromised' by acute lymphoblastic leukemia, according to a $1 million-plus wrongful death lawsuit filed last week by his widow and adult son. (Getty Images; Creative Commons 4.0)In an email, an Airbnb spokesperson said, “The loss of a loved one is a tragedy and our thoughts are with the Gafoor family.”
On July 19, 2024, Gafoor, a Florida resident, checked into the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to receive a course of chemo for his leukemia, according to his family’s lawsuit, which was initially filed in Texas state court and removed to federal court on November 26.
It says Imtiaz had booked a month-long stay at Airbnb about a mile away from the hospital so he and his mom could be close by while Gafoor was there. The listing, for a “cozy” and “warm” second-floor condo in a luxury complex, seemed perfect for their needs, and Gafoor would join them for a spell at the two-bed, two-bath apartment following his treatment, the suit explains.
Gafoor spent roughly three weeks at MD Anderson, receiving lymphodepletion chemotherapy, Tecartus/CAR-T immunotherapy, and cell infusion to treat his leukemia, the suit goes on.
A “very weak and severely immunocompromised” Gafoor was discharged on August 8, 2024, and joined Bebi and Imtiaz that same day at the Airbnb, sleeping with Bebi in the unit’s primary bedroom, the suit continues.
Chemo can be extremely debilitating, bringing with it all manner of side effects, and on August 12, 2024, Gafoor returned to MD Anderson complaining of a headache and eye pain, the lawsuit states. He was soon sent home, but went back to MD Anderson on August 16, 2024, saying that his headache and eye pain had intensified, according to the suit.
“An MRI revealed that Mr. Gafoor was suffering from invasive fungal sinusitis,” the lawsuit says.
open image in galleryThe Gafoor family was staying at an Airbnb close to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, where Mohamad Mustafa Gafoor, 67, was undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He died after becoming even sicker by inhaling toxic mold lurking in one of the home's air conditioning units, the family claims. (Google Maps)Gafoor was immediately re-admitted to the hospital, it explains, and on August 20, 2024, a tissue culture test confirmed that aspergillus mold “was the source of Mr. Gafoor’s fungal infection.” At the same time, the precise source of the mold itself remained unclear.
On September 4, 2024, Gafoor’s health “took a tragic turn for the worse,” and hospital staff found him nonresponsive following a heart attack, the lawsuit states. By September 11, 2024, it says Gafoor, who was now intubated, was not only suffering from the invasive fungal infection, but also a bacterial infection, pancytopenia, ongoing encephalopathy “with altered mental status,” and “difficulty with secretion clearance due to altered mental status.”
Gafoor continued to deteriorate, and three days later, was critically ill, according to the suit.
“Mr. Gafoor’s decline included ‘worsening bacterial/fungal sinusitis,” it emphasizes.
On September 15, 2024, Gafoor’s treating physicians told Imtiaz that his dad was not getting any better, and recommended the family let him “pass away peacefully,” the lawsuit states. Imtiaz then signed a do-not-resuscitate order, and Gafoor was transferred from Houston back home to Orlando for hospice care.
He died on September 18, 2024.
“Significantly, Mr. Gafoor’s death certificate lists lymphoma and a fungal infection as his cause of death,” the lawsuit states.
open image in galleryMD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the top hospitals in the nation for specialized care. Gafoor's family says in a new lawsuit that he died not from substandard treatment, but from toxic mold at an Airbnb. (Getty Images)The origins of the fungal infection that hastened the end of Gafoor’s life were still unclear – until last December, when Bebi told Imtiaz that it “may have come from mold” in the Airbnb, according to the suit.
“More specifically, Bebi told Imtiaz that the air conditioning in the master bedroom made her husband feel sick,” it says. “For this reason, Mr. Gafoor would often switch sides of the bed at night to be further away from the AC vent.”
In March 2025, Imtiaz arranged to have the Airbnb tested by a mold assessment expert, who discovered “the exact type of mold MD Anderson found in their tissue culture testing” was present in the apartment, the lawsuit alleges.
An excerpt from the consultant’s report is included in the suit, asserting: “The vent in the master bedroom, which showed the highest counts of Aspergillus/Penicillium, blows directly onto the bed located in the middle of the room where Mr. Gafoor slept. Based on the scope of magnitude of the mold it is my opinion the mold in the HVAC plenum and boot boxes was present when Mr. Gafoor was staying in the residence in August of 2024 from the 8th through the 16th.”
The apartment, according to Airbnb’s rules, was supposed to be “free of health hazards (mold, pests, etc.),” the lawsuit states, asserting, “[U]nder the legal doctrine of respondeat superior, the Airbnb Defendants are vicariously liable for Plaintiffs’ injuries/damages resulting from [the host’s] failure to keep the Unit in safe condition during the Gafoor’s stay.”
open image in galleryGafoor's family is suing Airbnb after tests found toxic mold in the air conditioner in the primary bedroom of the home they rented. Gafoor, a cancer patient, died after becoming even sicker from the fungal spores,. (US District Court for the Southern District of Texas)It claims Airbnb allowed “misrepresentations” to be posted regarding the state of the apartment, calling it “luxury,” “comfort,” “cozy,” and “warm,” when it actually was infested with toxic mold.
“There is nothing comfortable or cozy about mold,” the lawsuit argues.
Airbnb has been slammed in the past for other dangerous conditions at rental units. Last year, the company was sued after three members of one family drowned in a lake at an Airbnb in Upstate New York.
“We believe that this tragedy could have been avoided if proper precautions had been in place,” one of the relatives told The Independent, “and we are committed to ensuring that no other family has to endure what we have been through.”
The Gafoor family is now seeking a minimum of $1 million for, among other things, loss of companionship and society, conscious pain and mental anguish experienced by Gafoor before his death, and funeral and burial expenses.
Koelsch, the family’s attorney, told The Independent, “We look forward to pursuing justice on behalf of Mr. Gafoor’s widow and son.”
