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Another Clyde Family Shares Thoughts on Possible "Cancer Cluster"

CLYDE, OHIO -- It's become a scary question for many families in and around Clyde. Why are there so many children being diagnosed with cancer? So far, nine cases have been confirmed affecting infants to 18 year-olds.

5-year-old Chase Berger from Riley township has been through what no child should have to endure. He's a racing fan who's racing against time. It's a race the family is fighting to win.

Chase's bedroom reminds him of his favorite things including racing, Jeff Gordon, and anything John Deere. The IV port now attached to his chest unfortunately reminds him of the medicine that helps fight his cancer but also makes him very ill. "There's been times when I've had to hold his head out of the toilet because he's so lifeless laying on the bathroom floor," said his mother Jessica Ferkel.

The cancer attacked an area around Chase's right eye. He has to wear sunglasses at times because light can be painful. His cancer will be a long battle. "He's got to deal with this for all his whole life," his father Jeremy Ferkel told us.

Chase's family said one of the most difficult aspects of this disease is that Chase is a different boy ever since his diagnosis back in January. "Between me and him, we used to be really close," said Jessica. "Now it's, 'I hate you. I don't like you.' He slaps me. He kicks me," she explained.

He's a young boy who doesn't understand as is the case with many other childhood cancer cases that have popped up around Clyde recently. "We need to know what's going on here," said Chase's grandmother Jane Hemmer. "There's just too many cancer cases in this town. It's unbelievable," she added.

The state has promised it will investigate the situation once all the required information comes in. However, until then families just like Chase's are living with this disease every single day. "That's the frustrating thing," said Chase's grandfather Russell Fritz. "It's just all these little kids and they haven't had a chance at life, you know? That's what hurts the most."

Chase's family told News 11 he still has bad cells in him. And even when it looks like they're all gone, with this type of cancer, in 90% of the cases the cancer comes back and can show up in another place in his body.

The Ohio Department of Health said it could be as soon as next week when it starts its investigation. Not a day too soon for all the families.

On the Web:
Chase Berger's blog: mailto:abaker@wtol.com

Posted by AEB