MDS/PNH/Aplastic Anemia

[AndreaTFTPTF]

I am trying to reach out to people who have been diagnosed with MDS, PNH or Aplastic Anemia who lived/worked at U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in NC between 1957 and 1987. If you or someone you know was at Lejeune during this timeframe, you may have been exposed to extremely contaminated drinking water. The U.S.M.C. is asking everyone who was there during that time to register on their site at http://www.marines.mil. Also, if you are looking to find additional information and connect with others who were exposed, please visit http://www.tftptf.com.

[Sarah Chastain]

Thank you for your post- I just found this site and I was born on Camp Lejeune and have had platelet issues my whole life and I was wondering do you know of anyone that was born on camp Lejeune that has had similar platelet issues? When born I had misshapen platelets, 2 blood transfusions and meningitis two times from zero to 6 months of age.

[LoDawn Young]

My father was just diagnosed with MDS.He was stationed at Camp Lejeune in the 70’s. We had never heard anything about the toxic water at the camp until yesterday… So we are just starting the journey. Does anyone have any knowledge or advice to give us?

[Sarah Chastain]

Hi LoDawn Young,

I am very sorry to hear about your fathers diagnosis but thankfully there are resources available at the Department of Veterans Affairs for any veteran and family members that were stationed between the mid 1950’s to the early 1980’s on Camp Lejeune. VA disability compensation for the Veteran (which would be your father) is available to him for service connected injuries sustained due to the toxic water at Camp Lejeune. There are 8 specific diseases that the VA has service connected to the Camp Lejeune water contamination and Myleodysplatic Syndrome is one of the 8 service connected illnesses that are compensated. Your father is able to file a VA claim at the VA for service connected injuries due to the Camp Lejeune water contamination. Additionally, if you or your family was stationed on Camp Lejeune and also born on Camp Lejeune you may also be eligible for VA care as long as you resided on base for 30 days or more and can show proof of residency be it in your military medical records or housing paperwork from Camp Lejeune that you have a record of. There are class action lawsuits currently for family members that lived on base and became sick from one of the 8 conditions linked to the Camp Lejeune toxic water. Since the VA is currently only compensating veterans due to the service connected injuries the toxic water has caused the class action lawsuits (the bell group is one lawyer that is currently taking cases) would help families affected by the water. Also any medical expenses your father has incurred due to the MDS diagnosis and treatment can be reimbursed by the VA. Survivors benefits through the VA for service connected injuries in the event a veteran becomes deceased are also available to you through the VA. I hope this information is helpful and I really hope that you can get some much needed information to start this process with the VA. Additionally the few the proud the forgotten is a site that Jerry Esminger established to bring together and share information and knowledge of the Camp Lejeune toxic water exposure. Jerry Esminger has fought to hold the Navy and Marine Corps accountable for killing his youngest daughter as well as affecting and killing millions of others from the toxic water exposure on Camp Lejeune that spanned for over 40 years that both the Navy and Marine Corps covered up. If you get a chance go buy the real life documentary that Jerry Esminger made called Semper Fi Always Faithful. You can purchase it through Walmart.com. That will literally give you the answers you may need in order to wrap your head around this since you just found out about this. Feel free to reach out to me if you would like to. My father is currently sick with skin disorders that cause open wounds on his body, scarring and he is also going blind and has a laundry list of other conditions and my father was stationed at Camp Lejeune and has filed a claim with the VA.

[Sarah Chastain]

https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/capmeetings.html# Additionally this link is for the Agency for toxic substances and disease registry. Register your father and your family there so that you can receive updates information mailed to you from the Navy and Marine Corps about the studies on the Camp Lejeune toxic water and any other findings they find out about the affects of the toxic water- any information given to you will help especially in the even your family chooses to get a attorney. The statue of limitation states you must file a lawsuit within two years of learning about the Camp Lejeune water in order to qualify for damages. However, your father can file a claim with the VA at any time there is no statue of limitation for that. And your family can file to seek health care at the VA due to toxic water exposure from Camp Lejeune as long as you can show you resides on Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days.

[Sarah Chastain]

CAP- which is the community assistance panel which is comprised of members of the department of defense, the ATSDR and the VA holds community meetings for Camp Lejeune victims of the toxic water exposure. I attended my first meeting January 21 2017 in Jacksonville NC. There were a lot of people there that were both sick from the toxic water from Camp Lejeune, had already become deceased from the toxic water, were sick family members from the toxic water or were even grand children affected by the water. These meetings press the VA ATSDR and the DOD for information and answers and are a way for victims of the toxic water to get current information on studies being done (which they have been doing studies for over 30 years) The next meeting will be held January 23, 2018 starting at 9:00 am in Atlanta at the offices of NCEH/ATSDR, located at 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA. If I can find the link to the televised meeting I will post that so you can see that as well. I recently married back in January and my name is now Sarah Bergen and I am actually speaking in the video asking a question about who is going to help the families of the sick and can they get compensation- I start crying all over the place since it is such a emotional thing but I’ll try to find the link so you can watch it

[Sarah Chastain]

Here is a excerpt I found of the January 21 2017 meeting- I am still searching for the full clip but there were many stories such as these that I watched

This link is from Jerry Esminger himself about the Camp Lejeune water

And finally this is the most up to date article I have been able to find about the studies being proposed by the CDC for the Camp Lejeune toxic water

https://www.google.com/amp/taskandpurpose.com/camp-lejeune-water-contamination-investigation-cdc/amp/

[Sarah Chastain]

This is a older video but this is the Marine Corps denying responsibility but now currently is service connected

And finally this is Dan Rathers speaking with Jerry Ensminger and talking about the Camp Lejeune toxic water and exposure.

[Sarah Chastain]

Part II of Dan Rathers report of the Camp Lejeune toxic water and chemical dumping on base

[Sarah Chastain]

And finally part III of Dan Rathers Camp Lejeune toxic water

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