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John — my name is Janice Blanock, and I’ve lived in Cecil Township, Pennsylvania, with my husband and family for the last 26 years. Recently, I sat down with Val and told her my story, and she wanted to make sure I shared it with you, too. You can watch my story here or keep reading. My son, Luke, was a happy, determined, and healthy 16-year-old. But in the early hours of December 3, 2013, the doctors at a children’s hospital in Pittsburgh told us that Luke had a mass in his spine that they needed to remove as soon as possible – and it turned out to be cancerous. When we learned that Luke had Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, it felt like the protective walls of our safe and happy life were crumbling around us. Luke didn’t quit. He fought and fought, going through radiation, chemotherapy, and limb salvage surgery. But Ewing’s Sarcoma is an aggressive cancer, and it took his life on August 7, 2016.
After a while, I learned that four other kids in our area of southwestern Pennsylvania had been diagnosed with the same supposedly-rare cancer. That’s when I realized that it wasn’t just bad luck — something was seriously wrong. It couldn’t be a coincidence that all our families were surrounded by the oil and gas industry. Pennsylvania is finally studying potential links between fracking and these rare cancer cases. We even have a report from the Attorney General with testimonies about people and animals living near fracking sites getting seriously sick. But more needs to be done to protect our children and environment and hold the fossil fuel industry accountable. That’s why I’m so grateful for Val. She’s willing and ready to listen and take steps to change things for future generations — like my other children and grandchildren, who I worry about every day. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: Thanks for reading. Janice Blanock
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