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Alison Gaffney and Fraser's father received life-altering diagnosis in 2018 when their toddler their child was diagnosed with a uncommon form of childhood cancer.

Two years of intensive medical care came next, including cancer medications, radiation therapy, and biological therapies before a cellular therapy. The young boy, then aged three, made a remarkable improvement from the surgery, with doctors declaring the cancer in remission.

As Fraser improved that Alison, 36, began investigating explanations. She could not stop thinking about observations made by healthcare workers at the time of her Fraser's condition. “We lose sleep wondering how our son got his disease,” a specialist had told her.

“We can't sleep wondering how our son got his illness,” a specialist had shared with her.

Background Information

The negligent management of enormous amounts of toxic materials after the cessation of the town's primary employer in this community in 1979 had “long been recognized,” said Gaffney. A court ruling linked the improper remediation efforts of the site to a string of developmental issues in local children during the twentieth century.

Increasingly, Gaffney started to associate the situation to her own. “[The disease] is not genetic,” she said. “What's the explanation? … It has to be down to the area. All these kids [with] cancer.

“Each person here knows somebody who’s got a child [with] the disease. That’s not normal.”

Grassroots Movement

Alison and Andy started to contact more parents in Corby with similar stories – including some of Alison's past schoolmates at their former educational institution – and the organization began compiling thorough information on those involved. They now head a movement advocating for about 130 families with situations of pediatric illness dating back to 1988.

The group has been urging the local authority to research any relationships between occurrences of childhood cancer in Corby and the decommissioning of the plant. At the end of this month, health authorities are expected to release their evaluation of whether the town has had a disproportionate number of instances of childhood cancer for its residents of the local community.

“What we seek is to try and protect subsequent residents so they do not have to endure the suffering that we've endured,” said Alison.

Previous Cases

The judgment in the legal case acknowledged that, between the 1980s and 1990s, enormous amounts of contaminated materials from the manufacturing site were moved “regularly” from the south of Corby to Deene Quarry in the opposite end – with “significant amounts” of toxic waste moved and deposited on public roads and “considerable amounts” of particulate matter created by the cleanup.

However, it also mentioned reports from the regulatory body in 1997 that discovered stockpiles of contaminated material that had been abandoned at Deene Quarry were later removed in “significant amounts”.

Growing Suspicions

Alison believes waste was not only dumped at the main disposal area but in additional areas of the municipality. In recent developments, she applauded a “significant progress” after local authorities said it would analyze land that could be contaminated and research where hazardous materials was disposed of.

Gaffney said government representatives confirmed in the discussion that they did not know where the areas of contaminated waste could be. “They said: ‘We're uncertain where these sites are. Documentation is missing, there's no data available.’”

Public Endorsement

The government declaration was also welcomed by Tonia Shalgosky, a educational worker at a primary school, whose young child, Bella, was found to have a hematologic malignancy in June this year.

“I was forced to trim my little girl's head because her hair was shedding from the drugs she had to take to eliminate her illness. Therefore it’s in the community's concern, it’s in Bella’s interest [for the council] to disclose that information,” she stated.

“There are so many residents in the town that have been confirmed to have youth disease and I believe it’s impossible to overlook – it requires investigation. This is unusual.”

Family Experiences

A community member, aged thirty-one, who works in sales and now resides elsewhere, said families deserved “complete and utter truth and clarity” from the local authority.

Lyons’s 11-year-old sister, Eve, succumbed on 24 June 2017 after being confirmed to have a specific illness at the age of nine. Eve, who raised awareness for health organizations, was “exceptionally lovable, funniest and caring” people, the sister recalled.

Her mother recollects the consequence of the cessation of the manufacturing site on the community, the woman explained. “She said you were unable to place your hand in ahead of you because [of] the colored dust.”

“These issues have continued since I’ve probably been about three years old. It's too long and it is irresponsibility toward the community members.”

Past Associations

Another family member, Maggie Mahon, was part of multiple parents involved in the 2009 claim against the then Corby council after her newborn was had clubfoot. Her spouse, her partner, was a member of the truck operators participating in transporting materials from the steelworks. Their story was shown in a recent series, and illustrated the mother beating the debris from her spouse's clothing.

Gaffney said the campaign group has been contacted by individuals with information who were involved in the placement of substances in the community.