Heartbroken families break down in tears over extremely rare cancers in kids in rich California enclave

Grieving Orange County families gathered at a community meeting in Ladera Ranch on Tuesday to express their distress over a cluster of extremely rare cancers in children.Multiple cases of Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone and soft-tissue cancer, have occurred in the area and taken the lives of young people prematurely, and even caused the fatal disease in residents’ pets.Brian Dalton, who tragically lost his 23-year-old daughter Lily, demanded answers.He made his emotional statement while he wore a white shirt with his daughter’s face on it that said “Remembering Lily.”“Why are so many young children and adults developing incredibly rare cancers in the same community?” he asked.Lily grew up in Laguna Nigel but spent a significant amount of time in Ladera Ranch, which residents claim uses unusually heavy amounts of pesticides and herbicides.

Ewing sarcoma affects only about 200 to 240 children nationwide each year.Brian believes there should be a thorough investigation into whether the pesticides and his daughter’s cancer are linked.“That when something this unusual happens, families deserve answers,” Dalton said.“If there is even a possibility that environmental exposures, including pesticides or any other factor, could be contributing, then those possibilities deserve a thorough, transparent, independent investigation.”Researchers have previously explored possible associations between pesticide exposure and certain childhood cancers, including Ewing sarcoma, but no direct causal relationship has been confirmed.Still, residents say the volume of chemicals being sprayed throughout the community has become impossible to ignore.But any efforts from the residents to find out what’s amiss have been stonewalled by local officials.“This issue has been looked into by several different groups of residents in Ladera Ranch going back to 2016,” attorney and resident Jackie French told The California Post.

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