Fallon lawmaker seeks funds to fight leukemia

Erin Neff

Friday, Feb. 23, 2001 | 11:40 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Fallon lawmaker Marcia de Braga asked the state for $1 million in emergency funding Thursday to address her town's growing leukemia cluster.

After hours of hearings on the matter, the cluster hit very close to home for de Braga, D-Fallon, when on Wednesday she learned her grandson's close friend is suspected to be the 12th of now possibly 13 leukemia victims.

"My grandson is convinced that he may be the next case," de Braga said during a press conference Thursday to announce her funding request. "When this type of fear is striking children ... that gets really tough to deal with."

Eleven Fallon-area children were diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in just more than a year, a figure extremely unusual in a community whose population typically would have just one or two cases every five years.

Although two more children are suspected to have leukemia, their preliminary diagnoses have yet to be confirmed through bone marrow biopsies.

De Braga said she believes the Legislature will consider her funding request quickly to assist in the study of the cluster in hopes of finding answers even if a cause proves elusive for years.

The funding would be used to clean up known contaminants, launch an information campaign and conduct additional testing of both victims' blood and hair samples and well water.

Gov. Kenny Guinn's press secretary, Jack Finn, said the governor is committed to addressing the Fallon leukemia cluster and will definitely consider de Braga's funding request.

De Braga said her grandson's friend probably attends more family functions than her busy schedule allows her. Although neither that boy nor the other child's illness has been officially diagnosed, de Braga said the state health office is tracking those cases.

"When you talk about a cluster of the disease, you don't know what the size is," de Braga said.