The tears of fear and frustration of 35-year-old father of three Andrew Bailey represent the human impact of the Mr Fluffy crisis.
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He has worked hard in his life to "attain two major assets - my family and my home" but the scourge of Mr Fluffy has robbed him of certainty in both.
As of Tuesday, it seemed clear that while the ACT government will buy back the family's large Weston home and block of land, it is unlikely they will be able to afford to buy their block back and rebuild. This means continued instability and disruption.
Mr Bailey said he would carry the burden of worrying about his children's possible exposure to asbestos for the rest of his life.
"I feel mixed emotions today. I am relieved we have an announcement and are closer to resolving things. But I am devastated at the prospect of leaving this large family home in a suburb we hoped to raise our boys in."
In a heartfelt and stark Group Impact Statement, which is due to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, Mr Bailey is one of 333 contributors to a 330-page report which seeks to chronical the emotional toll Mr Fluffy is taking on residents.
"The distress on my wife's face each and every day I come home from work reminds me of how she looked when our little boy was suffering in intensive care in Sydney following radical brain surgery, and it kills me that I am utterly powerless to take the pain and uncertainty away from her, both in terms of our long-term health and in terms of our financial outlook," he said of living in a Mr Fluffy home.
The statement contains revelations of psychological trauma ranging from children suffering anxiety disorders after being wrenched overnight from their contaminated homes, to parents experiencing suicidal thoughts under the weight of the emotional and financial pressures they now face.
A Chapman teenager, Emma, recalled the moment her father snapped.
"Emma, I just don't want to die from this stuff!" he said.
"I guess that's the moment it hit me when I realised maybe everything wouldn't be OK," she wrote.
Helen, of Chapman, said: "I feel a massive sense of loss. Loss of security of future. I struggle to maintain my normal optimism and feel very unsure. My adult children and sister are nearby but I am alone in this. I cry alone".
An anonymous contributor from Weston said: "Even if there were an appropriate financial resolution tomorrow to this nightmare, I have been condemned to live the rest of my life in the constant fear that I, my wife, our son, our daughter-in-law, our grandson, our extended family, our friends or workman we have engaged may contract an asbestos-related disease. I cannot describe this terror. I have not had a restful night's sleep in six months".
The statement was produced by the Fluffy Owners and Residents' Action Group, which has more than 550 Mr Fluffy household members.
Group founder Brianna Heseltine said the statement was "an important historical record of the devastating human toll of one of the world's worst asbestos disasters".
The chief editor of the statement, herself a Fluffy owner, Barbara Walsh described it as "a collective howl of grief".
Ms Heseltine urged Canberrans to read the document, no matter how difficult it was.
"Do not avert your eyes to our plight. If a flood or fire had taken our homes, you would reach out to us. Please read our stories and please support our stand to bring an end to these toxic homes once and for all."
The statement levels a great deal of anger at successive government failures to regulate Mr Fluffy, clean up houses or warn residents of residual asbestos, condemning both the ACT and Commonwealth governments.
Rebecca, of Duffy, asks: "Why were we allowed to buy a house that had something so deadly it should never have been installed into homes? Why did the Commonwealth government approve its installation and then down the track realise what they did was dangerous, then remove the asbestos from people's houses, but not remove it enough, resulting in thousands of people being exposed to it years upon years down the track?"
Ben and Nat, from Curtin, said: "We felt like we have been conned by the vendor, and let down by successive governments who should have followed guidance in the '90s suggesting the remediation would not eradicate the amosite asbestos, and the current ACT government who didn't take steps to warn property buyers of the potential dangers."
The full Statement is available at www.fluffyaction.com/390249628
