My name is Janell McNally. I was employed at George AFB elementary school from 2006 to 2010 by the Adelanto School District. I worked in the school building located directly on the George Air Force Base military site. I began experiencing a severe cough and some trouble breathing in October of 2016. I received multiple incorrect diagnoses with no relief of my symptoms for over a year. After many visits to doctors and some specialists, someone finally ordered a chest X-ray. Within two weeks I was informed of a cancer diagnosis. Small Cell Lung Cancer. It had already spread through the center of my lungs, enveloping my trachea, and causing the collapse of a lung and blood clots to form inside both lungs. I began to lose weight and was unable to care for myself or my family. It became very difficult to eat and some activities were painful. I endured a series of radiation treatments and a course of chemotherapy treatment. I lost more weight, developed depression, and became primarily bedridden. I visited the emergency room quite a lot and was admitted at least six separate times for complications caused by the cancer growth and cancer treatments, such as; blood transfusion for dangerously low white blood cell count, emergency IV fluids to treat persistent dehydration, the sudden formation of a blood clot in my right leg, and observations after a fainting episode. At this time new scans showed the tumor-shrinking in one area and growing significantly in another area. With this news, I was encouraged to begin another stronger course of chemotherapy. I was able to complete one treatment. I became so ill from the side effects and the toll all of this was doing to my body, that I could not consider going in for a second treatment. It was killing me. I stopped the latest treatment and began to recover somewhat. I was able to eat more and I began a short-lived recovery where I even returned to work for two weeks! I was so happy! I felt that I WAS getting better! Unfortunately, as soon as school let out for Christmas Break my health went quickly downhill. At this time I received approval to begin an alternative treatment at USC in Los Angeles. I had undergone two of these treatments when I began to struggle with unrelenting fatigue and intense sharp pains in my neck, arms, legs, and back. I was struggling a great deal to function and finally agreed to visit an emergency room. I was admitted with a blood pressure of 34/65, pneumonia, and a very shallow heartbeat. I was in big trouble. A nurse commented that if I had waited a few more hours to get to the hospital, I would not have recovered. I spent the next almost two months in and out of hospitals. Typically I received vitamins, antibiotics, and IV fluids with each week long stay. I became severely depressed and briefly suicidal during this time. I continued to lose weight quickly and my pain has become so severe that I have no choice but to take opioids for some relief. Being away from family and my own bed during hospital stays is one of the many difficult things I’ve endured throughout. I complain very little. A month ago my doctor discussed my options. The options were to continue the course of Immunotherapy, begin a whole new course of stronger chemotherapy, or seriously consider hospice. I chose to fight and continue with the Immunotherapy. I have been feeling “things move around” which makes me believe the treatment is working and the mass is shrinking. I have had many days where I felt very out of sorts. My pain is consistent and horrible. Day by day the pain attacks are considerably more severe. Some days are okay with only a few bouts of bad pain and some are totally unbearable. The attacks come on often frequently with no warning. I feel that I can’t catch my breath or move a muscle with each episode. Sometimes they last a few seconds, other times they last several minutes. My family is increasingly concerned about my comfort and quality of life. As of today, April 6, 2018, I have completed 6 courses of Immunotherapy. In two weeks I am scheduled to have a new CT scan performed. This will be the scan that will confirm whether or not the Immunotherapy treatments are working or not.
I have managed to be exposed to hazardous chemicals, due to unknowingly working for several years on a “Superfund Site”. They are government owned land or facilities, typically military installations, which were used to dump tons of hazardous wastes. The dump sites have been linked to causing severe illness in military personnel, their families, contracted personnel, and public school employees who were working and living around venting plumes that spilled chemicals into the water and air, poisoning anything either came into contact with. I am convinced that the hazardous waste dumping caused my abnormal cancer development at George AFB over the course of the last several decades. I am currently undergoing toxicology testing to find if there are chemicals in my body matching the chemicals that were dumped. Somehow my colleagues and I were exposed to poisons without knowledge or warning about the environmental disaster placed knowingly by the US government where I would work and teach for many years.
Please include the following information in your statement.
Did the Air Force tell you not to get pregnant? -No
Who told you? What did they say? Where were you when they told you? When (what year)? Why (what was the reason given you shouldn’t get pregnant)? -N/A
Describe the health problems that your coworkers and neighbors have or have had. -Coworkers of mine have also developed mystery illnesses accompanied by a cancer diagnosis
Did your pets have health problems/die? -N/A
Did you live in the older (WWII) housing, barracks, or dorms? -No
Did your housing unit have an evaporative cooler (swamp cooler)? – N/A
Did you swim in the base pool? -No
Did you have a flower or vegetable garden? -No
Describe the drinking water quality. – There was never a discernible problem of quality in the water. We were told not to drink the water due to high levels of arsenic found (unrelated)
Did the Air Force notify you that the water was unsafe or tell you “do not to drink the water”? Do you have a copy of the letter? -I was only told by other teachers that the water wasn’t good to drink.
Describe any environmental concerns that you witnessed. -None
Were you able to get your (or your child’s) COMPLETE military file, including medical records, autopsy report, or death certificate, from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC)? -N/A
Were you able to get your spouse’s or child’s death certificate, from San Bernardino County? -N/A
Did the Air Force file your spouse’s or child’s death certificate with San Bernardino County? N/A
Did the DOD, Air Force, or the Dept. of Veterans Affairs notify you of your possible toxic exposure at George AFB? -No, I was never informed of anything dangerous being in my workplace.
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