General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMy daughter is only 22.
Today something like her fifth friend, since high school, (I've lost count) has died from cancer. Lukemia, several with brain tumors, Lymphoma...
My daughter feels so lost and frightened. I feel the same. I don't know how to comfort her. How to make her feel safe. It sucks so bad. These precious kids dying before they've ever even lived. Their families and friends so hurt and suffering.
It makes me wonder about possible toxins in the area. The nuclear power plant at the beach? Something in the water? I don't know. I don't know.
Just so sad. I'm really sorry. I needed to vent a little.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Control-Z
(15,682 posts)pfitz59
(10,391 posts)Just saying....
SoLeftIAmRight
(4,883 posts)we are destroying the environment - filling it with poisons
Some people have this as their number one priority
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)I want to take my children and run away but there's no place to run.
IdaBriggs
(10,559 posts)Control-Z
(15,682 posts)Binkie The Clown
(7,911 posts)It can be hard for kids that age.
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)My son lost his best friend in high school. Too much tragedy and sadness for these kids.
Jim Beard
(2,535 posts)I do believe there are things in areas that cause these diseases. One of my high school friends parents died of liver cancer. Both of them but it was not a problem in the area.
My suspicions were they lived in a concrete block house all their adult life. Another friend blamed it on the excessive amount of sandwich meat.
Neither adult child has had any problems.
I definitely believe it is environmental.
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)in this same area when my kids were in primary school. It seems like they couldn't be coincidental.
benld74
(9,910 posts)She has known more that have fied although not from disease than either my wife or myself since graduating HS.
Car wrecks, shootings, the latest developed leukemia.
Difficult talking to one that age but one must do it now unfortunately.
Peace
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)I've done my best to calm her. We'll take it a day at a time. I just don't want her to hold her feelings in.
How's your daughter doing?
benld74
(9,910 posts)mom can express herself more while speaking. I just give the b&w of things. She does talk though which is good. Each has their own means of coping with things.
Hope yours gets better as well
Solly Mack
(90,787 posts)That is very scary and very tragic.
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)She's always worried more than she should. I don't want her to end up like me. It can rip the joy right out of life, worrying all the time.
Your hug helps. I'll squeeze her extra tight when she gets home. Thank you.
leftofcool
(19,460 posts)I am going to go with the nuclear power plant as the cause. The best thing to do for your daughter is love and comfort.
Hoppy
(3,595 posts)to learn how the toxic chemicals were identified. Best of luck.
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)it is entirely possible that this is just random, but you can't hope for that. You are terrified not so much by the deaths but by there being no identifiable reason for them. Nothing you can defend against. Nothing you can blame or escape from. Nothing to fight.
We are in a relatively safe age, where we have dealt with infections, animal attacks, starvation, highway robbery and most of the things that killed and maimed us in the past. But now this unknown cluster of disease from an unknown source, if there is a source.
That safety that we have grown to appreciate is blown to hell, and there is nothing we can do but hope the disease skips us and share the sorrow of those it hits.
And fight on for clean air and water. And pure food. Maybe they are causing the problems, and maybe not, but clean air and water and pure food are good things in themselves, and we deserve them. Everybody deserves them.
a kennedy
(29,711 posts)Are_grits_groceries
(17,111 posts)The CDC or some state health organization could do an analysis. They enter data about the cancers, the people affected and a boatload of other info. This helps them determine if there is a significant cancer cluster there. That can lead to more research as to why.
It's hard to tell if there is a case for a problem that needs to be studied. In any size population, there will be an expected number of cases of any disease. I know you have heard about lots of cancer deaths and that is scary. A study gathers facts about all the cases and tries to nail down the probability of an anomaly.
Of course, this isn't 100% fooloproof, but it does tell people whether the occurrences are just random or probably due to some factor. Here's a link to a paper from the CDC. You can glean some info about this from it.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/rr/rr6208.pdf
I would seriously look into this for your area. It may begin to help explain these cases if there is enough info for them to start with. It would be the first step anyway if research were to be done.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)...and I always wonder if it is something in our food doing this to kids. My daughter (25) has had 3 friends from school (middle and high) diagnosed with brain tumors. To put it in perspective, she went to a small, parochial school with a graduating class of 32.
Hugs for your daughter and you.
ecstatic
(32,733 posts)A lot of young people sleep with their phones/laptops near the pillow.
JI7
(89,276 posts)Have there been others that she didn't know but have gotten cancer ?
countryjake
(8,554 posts)and hugs to you for being there for her. It's so very hard to demonstrate the bright things in life, counting blessings, and positive-thinking to young people around that age...crushing blows and sadness can be especially devastating. Not long after my girl finished college (years ago, now), we lost one of her cousins to cancer; he was only a little older than she and it was a tragic ordeal that I was afraid she'd never recover from. What brought her out of it was investigating "why", just as the questions you've posed in wondering about toxins in your area.
My daughter now has been an activist to clean up the Environment and save our Planet during these past two decades, largely due to the things she discovered on her own after our family suffered that loss (and my constant prodding, too, of course). If you or your girl want to investigate more about what may be harming the youth of your area, here is a good site to start out at, that's been created by Erin Brockovich. That Orange Co spot on the map is practically blotted out by the pins:
http://www.communityhealthbook.com/
Again, I'm so sorry that such sadness has hit your family...vent all you like, that's a good thing.