I was a freshman at Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill on March 28, 1979. I remember the day being surreal. I was dating a fellow West Shore School District high school student who was a senior at Redland High School. Redland is within the 10-mile “ground zero”range as the crow flies and Cedar Cliff was just outside of it. My dad was a businessman whose business was on the east shore in Steelton. My parents believed the authorities’ news alerts that there was no threat and although we should be prepared to evacuate, there was no need at that time. My boyfriend threatened to pick me up and start driving as far away from south central PA as possible until the “all clear” message was broadcasted. My parents nixed that plan.
It wasn’t until May, 2010 that I thought of TMI much.
My memories of those weeks following were that the threat continued to be downplayed but I suspected that like most near misses, we probably were kept in the dark about the actual danger the accident posed by the TMI administration and our government officials.
In the years since that day, I lived out my life with a diminishing awareness of the event, hoping that eventually more intelligent choices would be made about green energy and that one day TMI and all other nuclear power plants would be dismantled in as safe a manner as possible. It wasn’t until May, 2010 that I thought of TMI much.
During a routine OB/GYN appointment that spring, my doctor noted that my thyroid gland was enlarged and that I should go see an endocrinologist for further evaluation. I had a biopsy and was told that the results were inconclusive and that further assessment was necessary. I followed up with a second opinion at Johns Hopkins Endocrinology and discovered I had papillary thyroid cancer in both lobes of my thyroid gland. The treatment recommended was thyroidectomy followed by a treatment of radioactive iodine and then a lifetime of taking artificial thyroid hormones. The test for thyroid cancer is to have one’s thyroglobulin level evaluated. Anything under 30 is normal. In June, 2010, mine was 92. In August, Johns Hopkins performed the thyroidectomy and 8 weeks later, I ingested a horse-sized capsule containing 51 microcuries of radioactive iodine. I now have the same likelihood of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer as anyone else–2%. Current recommendations by the American Thyroid Association are that I remain at a slightly depressed level of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) for the rest of my life to decrease my chances of recurrence. Being slightly low on TSH does impact one’s energy level since the thyroid is the human “spark plug.”
PA still has 30 counties whose thyroid cancer rates exceed Massachusetts’ average rate.
The lone known cause of thyroid cancer is radiation exposure. I have had my share of routine dental and orthopedic x-rays but no more than a high school athlete might have. None of my radiology appointments growing up included the use of a thyroid guard which is a small lead shield that ANYONE undergoing radiation exposure to the neck (such as x-rays near or around the neck) should be given. Even today, the guard is available but only used if a patient asks for it.
My journey with thyroid cancer and my training as a health care provider led me to explore the world of thyroid cancer. I learned from the NIH and the Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ website (www.thyca.org) that there are 4 types of thyroid cancer. Papillary, which is the type I had, is the most common type, occurring more in females (3:1) than males and comprising 95% of all thyroid diagnosis. It is also the most easily cured type of thyroid cancer. The other types: medullary, anaplastic and follicular, have their own challenges. Medullary and anaplastic have a higher mortality rate (they do not respond to typical cancer drugs) and impact males as much as females. (see stats at www.thyca.org). The rate of increase of thyroid cancer in the US has risen alarmingly over the past few decades but seems this year to be leveling off. However, deaths from thyroid cancer are not decreasing.
Educating myself and others about thyroid cancer has been an indirect outcome of the TMI near meltdown.
One of the confounding issues about thyroid cancer is that the thyroid cell doesn’t always remain in the thyroid gland. Cells can migrate to other parts of the body. So during my 2-month follow up, part of my appointment included a body scan to see if the radioactive iodine I had ingested “lit up” any rogue thyroid cells. None were seen so I was deemed cured at the 5-year mark. An older gentleman in my thyroid cancer support group was not so fortunate; his thyroglobulin was 200 and they were able finally to locate the thyroid cancer which had found a home in his thymus gland…about 8-10″ south of the thyroid gland.
I also learned through the National Cancer Institute’s data that while PA until recently had the unenviable position as first in the country with thyroid cancer incidence (see https://statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/map/map.withimage.php?00&001&080&00&0&01&0&1&5&0#results), Massachusetts is now reported as slightly higher (20.4) than PA. PA still has 30 counties whose thyroid cancer rates exceed Massachusetts’ average rate. The worst counties in PA are around Pittsburgh. Since the smelting of iron ore releases radioactivity, it stands to reason that the areas of more intensive smelting would have higher thyroid cancer rates.
Educating myself and others about thyroid cancer has been an indirect outcome of the TMI near meltdown. I am highly suspicious that just as the years following Chernobyl and those mushrooming incidences of thyroid cancer, PA has experienced a public health menace from radiation overexposure. I don’t recall receiving any public health messages to do neck checks or any other screening for thyroid cancer. Yet when I was seeing a local endocrinologist for the years following my thyroidectomy (it was impractical to continue to drive to Baltimore for follow up), she was not surprised by my diagnosis and revealed that the incidence in south central PA is higher than the national average. I think this information is important to share with the public and as a news agency, I would hope you would help get the word out. The information may help save lives.
Christine
Interactive Maps – statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov
Tip: Hover on a state to see its rate (and 95% C.I.). Click a state to show its counties.
statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov
ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (tax ID #52-2169434) of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals. We are dedicated to support, education, and communication for thyroid cancer survivors, their families and friends.