I am battling my 2nd stage IV cancer at 42 and hundreds of people are dying of the rarest cancers in a town of 4,000. Please read on: 

*link to Erin Brockovich podcast about my hometown at the end. YOU CAN HELP SAVE LIVES. Please sign 

Imagine growing up in a tiny town of 4,000 people where half is farming and half is industry (paper mills, plastics manufacturing, aerospace) and throughout the years seeing DOZENS of your classmates die of the rarest cancers; from ewings sarcoma, to cancer of the thymus, and DOZENS of women with ovarian cancer and hysterectomies before the age of 30. In 2018 I learned why while reading my hometown news on the internet; since 1955 paper mill sludge was dumped on 47 farms for decades while the local waste hauler was hiding various chemicals in the waste before application, there was an illegal landfill containing 1000 55 gallon drums from over 12 factories, the Kalamazoo River in which you reside downstream is an EPA superfund site with cancer causing chemicals, your city water supply well is feet from the superfund river in a flood plain, the local waste hauler was spraying chemicals on dirt roads, and so much more. This is our story. 80% of toxic waste goes to tiny rural communities and minority communities. They are called sacrifice zones and my hometown is one of them.

I am currently fighting my 2nd stage IV cancer at 42 with my first stage IV ovarian at 17. We’ve buried 6 of my classmates to cancer in 2023 alone. This is my life’s purpose. The future generations need to be saved as these are FOREVER chemicals, DNA altering chemicals. They will never admit it because have you had dairy, corn, soy from any of the 47 farms in my town over the last 40 years?

My entire family have been victims of the toxic environment we live in. Between my two sisters, myself, and my mother, we have battled six different types of cancer. As if this wasn't enough evidence of the harm caused by our surroundings, I have collected over 1,000 health surveys from current and former residents that reveal hundreds more families suffering from cancer, autoimmune diseases and reproductive issues.

Our town is an EPA superfund site where illegal waste dumping has occurred. For decades now our community has been exposed to PCBs (Polychlorinated Biphenyls), PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), Dioxin and biosolid application on farms - all substances known for their harmful effects on human health. We’ve sent our health surveys to government agencies and throughout the past 6 years they have done soil and water testing after demanding it by the residents during 4 town hall meetings. They found dioxin aka agent orange (from mixing chemicals together) in our water and soil “AT SAFE LEVELS”. We are also a PFAS listed Michigan site. There are NO safe levels. And if the levels are safe why are we dying before the age of 45? Perhaps they need a new human health study to evaluate that regulatory level because clearly it’s wrong. Imagine for 40 years swimming, bathing, cooking, drinking dioxin. The state refuses to do a human health study because our 1000’s of cases of cancer are NOT the same cancers; therefore not a cancer cluster. For example, one specific chemical like TCE would cause brain tumors, hence creating a cluster. They will not investigate further because we have an insane amount of cancers; some families like mine, have 6,7,8 types of cancer in ONE family. That’s what dioxin, PCBS and PFAS do. 

We demand an extensive human health study be conducted for the residents who've been exposed to these toxic substances over decades in Otsego. We need answers about how this exposure has affected us so far and what it means for our future health prospects.

Thank you for your support. I hope this empowers other sacrifice zones to fight like us! 

You can follow our story on Facebook @ Justice for OTSEGO and listen to an hour long podcast with Erin Brockovich about OTSEGO below:

https://www.facebook.com/justiceforotsego/​

https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/supermans-not/small-town-in-michigan-seeks-JWEUrA4ONfS/

https://wwmt.com/news/local/deq-testing-soil-in-allegan-and-kalamazoo-county-for-dioxins-and-pfas