Toms River

[starlady]

I don't know why it took me this long to put it together, but it's by no means impossible that the Toms River cancer cluster played a role in my mother's cancer. (It's equally possible that the one had no part in the other.) (I need to remember to ask my dad whether Mom had the genetic test for the defective gene. I doubt it, but it's worth asking.) Regardless, I lived in Toms River from birth until the age of approximately two, and my parents lived there for seven years before I was born.

I have friends who still live there; they have a double-osmotic filtration system installed in their house, and don't drink the tap water. Their water filter guy occasionally will talk about how other Toms River customers go through the filters twice or three times as frequently as customers not in Toms River do. I'm lucky not to have had cancer already, I suspect. And nothing in the future will surprise me on that front.

Comments

[sasha_feather]

I am really sorry. <3

[starlady]

Aw, thanks. <3 It's old grief at this point; I really am just kind of surprised that it took me this long to put two and two together, since people in New Jersey have known about--and at least some of us have believed in--the cancer cluster for a good long while. At least the past 15 years, I'd say.

[lilacsigil]

That's really scary. I wish you luck in the future - I had a usually hereditary cancer with no family history of it, meaning the future is difficult to predict, and it's a horrible thing to have always in the back of your mind.

[via_ostiense]

I'm sorry, and I really hope that you don't get cancer.

[thistleingrey]

:(
Pragmatically speaking, have you been tested for the gene? Is this enough of a basis to get referred to a specialist who can do it (since student health care can be reluctant to acknowledge that students are real adults, too)?

[starlady]

My understanding is that no insurance will pay for it, and it costs $3000-$4000. This is part of what people criticized Angelina Jolie for after her op-ed.

The other thing is that genetic counseling protocol is not to do the test if the patient isn't ready for the results. I don't know that I am, yet. Probably in another few years.

I don't dwell on this, per se, and I definitely don't worry about it much for now. I did never really put two and two together about Toms River before this, though. :)

[thistleingrey]

I see--I read her op-ed but none of the commentary. Makes sense about the genetic counseling, too.