Cancer at Christmas
Ailing family does is best to celebrate holiday

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

Dylan Williams plays with his new Rubik's Cube on Christmas Eve at Joe and Darquise Mandagaran's house in Grants. The Williams were invited to the Mandagaran's for the evening where Santa Claus brought them gifts from Toys for Tots. [Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent]

MILAN — Despite the fact that Candi and Mickey Williams are not in the best of health themselves, and their four sons have various forms of cancer or deformity, it didn't keep them from having a blessed Christmas.

Last year, Mickey Jr., 9, was in a wheelchair. This year, he was able to walk. It was cause for celebration.

Candi Williams said the people in Grants have been "awesome. The sorority, Xi Alpha Delta, the churches around here people just out of the kindness of their hearts: 'Do you need water? Do you need us to keep the kids while you go to the doctor?' Everybody cares except Homestake," Williams said.

The family lives about a mile from Homestake Mining Co.'s uranium mill tailings site.

During an October meeting in Grants with families potentially impacted by contamination from Homestake, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Department of Environment's Superfund representatives told a packed house that if the wells they use for drinking water are contaminated, they would be provided an alternate water source.

Williams said she finally got a report from the state which informed the family that their water was above health-based standards for nitrate, sulfate and total dissolved solids. It's been two months, and there has been no communication from any of the entities other than to tell them not to drink the water.

"Everybody is doing what they can except Homestake, the NRC and the state. People who should give a damn and should be out here helping us haven't done anything," Williams said.

Sorority Santa
Xi Alpha Delta, a sorority in Grants, has given them money for propane and electricity. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus came to the home of one of the sorority members the family was visiting. Williams said this was due in part to Savannah Wilson, 11, who raised $200 selling lemonade to help the family.

"Savannah had written a letter to Santa Claus that she was trying to help these little boys,"and that's how Santa came to visit while they were all gathered together, Williams said.

Kyle, 3, was thrilled with a Bouncy Ball, while little Mickey's favorite gift from Santa was a video game. Dylan, 7, was especially intrigued with a Rubik's cube, and baby Josh, who is nearly 2 years old, "got a little truck that drives by itself. The lights and siren go and it takes off driving," Williams said.

"We got a water dispenser, which was really cool,"she added.

Area churches have offered their help on numerous occasions.

"One of the churches brought us blankets and books and warm clothes for the kids. Then another church brought us food and books. My kids really like books, but books are a luxury," according to Williams.

New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission informed the family that the Sept. 20 sample from their well was analyzed by Energy Labs for metals, dissolved and total solids, major irons, radionuclides and general water chemistry. Officials did not express any concern about the findings.

However, according to NMED's Jake Ingram, "The nitrate concentration in the water sample collected from your well is above the health-based drinking water standard of 10 milligrams per liter established by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

Water warning
"The NMED recommends that you do not drink or cook with your well water. Boiling water increases the nitrate concentration. The well may be used for bathing and washing. You may choose to switch to bottled water for drinking and cooking, or to install an appropriate water treatment system that removes nitrates such as reverse osmosis," he said.

They sent along a fact sheet showing the health effects of nitrate and sulfate. Consumption of water with elevated levels of nitrate can affect the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood in pregnant women, infants and children, causing an acute condition which deteriorates rapidly over several days, leaving the victim with symptoms of shortness of breath and blueness of the skin.

Consumption of elevated levels of sulfate in the drinking water can cause gastrointestinal problems such as osmotic diarrhea. Consumption of elevated levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) may affect the aesthetics of water, resulting in a salty, bitter, or metallic taste.

"I looked up TDS on the Internet and one of the things it said is it's damaging to you pipes. So if it's damaging to metal pipes, imagine what it does to your stomach and intestines and all those things," Williams said.

As to the nitrate level, "You can't boil it to clean it, you can't use water purification tablets. You have to have a reverse osmosis system to clean it up, and what we would need is about a series of seven to get all of it out," Williams said, noting that each system costs about $250.

At the October NRC meeting in Grants, Homestake Project Manager Bill Von Till, "made a big deal about, 'If your water is contaminated, we will make sure you get another source of water,' Williams said. "I've know that our water was contaminated since the end of October, since before Halloween.

"It's the end of December now. I have emailed him, nothing. He hasn't contacted me in any way. So I don't know. Nobody's done anything. Nobody's going to do anything."

Williams said she has e-mailed every congressman in New Mexico and has not gotten a response.

"I called Gov. (Bill) Richardson and they called me back and told me that I needed to talk to Tom Udall. They gave me his number so I called and left messages. I never heard anything back,"she said.