Searching for AA Patients in Vancouver, WA
 

My son Timothy was diagnosed with AA in 2005. I learned of a State Cluster study being conducted regarding 6 AA cases in the Kalama, WA area in Oct 2006. I contacted the team but they would not include my son in the study because we lived more than 18 miles from the chemical plant. I was told if I could locate 3 more AA cases in Clark county they might expand the cluster study to Clark county. I kind of thought when you reported a rare illness like AA to the DOH they would look for other cases in the area to determine if there was reason to be concerned about a possible toxic exposure.
If you have been diagnosed with AA and live in Clark county or even the Portland, OR area please contact me. A 9 year old boy passed away from AA last month in Vancouver. I learned about this in reading the obituaries in the Columbian newspaper.

We are in Battle Ground...right around the corner from you! My son was diagnosed with AA last February.

-Nicole
http://joshuasrecovery.blogspot.com/

AA in Clark County
 

Hi John. I have been a part of that cluster study, but live by the chemical plant in Cowlitz County. A while ago, I got a letter from the county stating that there is no proof that anything in this county has caused anyone to get AA. So I thought that maybe the study was unsucessful. Is it still going on?
Connie

I just got word today, that that case has been closed. Not enough proof of a cause for AA in that area. I am sorry.
Connie

Correction?
 

I am not sure and will call about it, but I think that perhaps that case may not be closed, just MY case.
Connie

Chemical plant?
 

Hi Connie, I just joined this site today. Do you know what type of chemicals they produce in the Cowlitz County plant? Thanks! My prays are with you.

Becky
 

The 2006 AA Study as expected did not find a link with the chemical plant that produces over 1/2 million gallons of Benzene annually as a waste product. Three 9 year old girls from Longview, all on the same soccer team and going to the same school got sick last year. One with AA, one with AML, and one with ALL. The State DOH has said it was just another coincidence but because of local parent and school concerns is going to hold a public forum tomorrow. In 1999, there was another cluster study conducted because of 16 perinatal and prenatal deaths between January and March 1999. The DOH was unable to link these deaths to any cause then and explained that it was just a random spike. Eventually, the coincidences will no longer be coincidences and the DOH will do their job and find the cause of the illnesses and deaths in our area.
Benzene has been linked to AA and AML and I believe it is just a matter of time before it is linked to several other forms of bone marrow disorders. Linking it to a specific person's illness is difficult because an acute exposure to Benzene becomes very difficult to prove because Benzene excretes rapidly from the body is almost undetectable in a couple of days. Some research is being done to identify markers in the body that indicate Benzene exposure as the probable cause of an illness but that doesn't mean it could be proven in court yet. Hopefully, someday we will know for sure the cause of the 80% of the AA cases now classified as idiopathic.
Thanks for your e-mail. My son Timothy is slowly recovering from AA without any type of immune suppresssion therapy or bone marrow transplant.
John

I am in Gig Harbor, not your same area, but wanted to let everyone know that my husband was diagnosed with AA in November of 2008. He lost his battle March 7, 2010 at the age of 51. No know cause as to how and why he got it. Still fighting for him in this area. He had 2 ATG treatments and a BMT in January 2010.

WA
 

My father was recently diagnosed with AA, and has lived in the Seattle area for the last 11 years.

Not sure if this is related--

Ellie