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A local mother and Fraser's father were given life-altering news in 2018 when their toddler Fraser was found to have a unusual variant of leukaemia.

24 months of demanding therapies came next, including chemotherapy, targeted radiation, and biological therapies before a stem cell transplant. Fraser, at three years old, made a “miraculous recovery” from the surgery, with medical staff declaring the disease in remission.

As Fraser improved that the mother, 36, began seeking causes. She could not stop thinking about comments made by hospital staff at the time of her son’s diagnosis. “We lose sleep wondering how he got his illness,” a doctor had shared with her.

“It keeps us up at night wondering how he got his cancer,” a consultant had shared with her.

Historical Context

The improper handling of vast quantities of toxic materials after the closure of a major industrial facility in this community in 1979 had “long been recognized,” said Alison. A legal proceeding connected the local authority's mismanagement of the site to a cluster of congenital abnormalities in local children during the twentieth century.

Gradually, Alison started to associate the circumstances to her own. “[Fraser’s cancer] is not hereditary,” she explained. “So what are the reasons? … It has to be down to the community. So many children [with] cancer.

“Each person here is acquainted with a person who’s got a child [with] illness. That’s not normal.”

Grassroots Movement

The parents started to reach out to more parents in their community with parallel situations – including some of Gaffney’s former classmates at Brooke Weston Academy – and the collective began compiling comprehensive documentation on those involved. They now spearhead a campaign supporting about many parents with cases of pediatric illness starting from 1988.

The collective has been calling on the municipal government to research any relationships between cases of childhood cancer in Corby and the shutdown of the plant. In the coming weeks, public health officials are expected to release their study of whether the area has had a disproportionate number of instances of pediatric illness for its inhabitants of seventy thousand.

“All we want is to try and protect subsequent residents so they do not have to endure the hardship that we’ve been through,” said Alison.

Previous Cases

The judgment in the 2009 civil claim acknowledged that, between a fourteen-year period, millions of tonnes of hazardous waste from the manufacturing site were transported “almost invariably” from the one area to a designated site in the north – with “significant amounts” of hazardous materials transported and dumped on public roads and “considerable amounts” of dust produced by the reclamation.

Nevertheless, it also referenced reports from the regulatory body in 1997 that found stockpiles of contaminated material that had been abandoned at this location were later extracted in “substantial volumes”.

Additional Issues

The campaign leader suspects contaminated materials was not exclusively placed at the Deene Quarry site but in other parts of the municipality. Lately, she welcomed a “major step forward” after municipal government said it would examine soil that could be contaminated and investigate where toxic waste was deposited.

The mother said local officials acknowledged in the conference that they were unaware where the areas of toxic materials could be. “They stated: ‘We lack information where these areas are. There are no records, there's no data available.’”

Community Support

The official statement was also embraced by another parent, a pastoral lead at a elementary institution, whose school-aged girl, her daughter, was diagnosed with a hematologic malignancy in recent months.

“I had to shave my nine-year-old daughter's head because her locks was coming out from the treatments she had to use to destroy her disease. Consequently it’s in our interest, it’s in Bella’s interest [for the council] to share that knowledge,” she stated.

“Numerous people in the town that have been found to have pediatric illness and I just feel it’s impossible to overlook – it demands examination. This isn't typical.”

Personal Stories

Meg Lyons, in her early thirties, who has a professional career and now has moved away, said families merited “full transparency and clarity” from the local authority.

Her 11-year-old sister, her sister, died on in recent years after being confirmed to have a uncommon malignancy at the young age. The girl, who raised awareness for medical research, was “exceptionally lovable, funniest and caring” individuals, Lyons recalled.

Her parent recalls the impact of the cessation of the steel plant on the town, Lyons explained. “She mentioned you were unable to place your hand in before you because [of] the colored dust.”

“This situation has persisted since around about three years old. This duration is unreasonable and it is carelessness toward the local residents.”

Previous Involvement

Lyons’s cousin, a community member, was part of multiple households participating in the legal case against the previous administration after her infant was diagnosed with clubfoot. Her husband, the man, was one of the vehicle operators participating in handling substances from the manufacturing facility. Their story was shown in a recent series, and showed the mother cleaning the particles from her husband’s jeans.

Gaffney said the organization has been contacted by individuals with information who were responsible for the placement of waste in the community.