Cancer

The Buhler community finally has the results from a cancer investigation. After months of analyzing data, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment released its findings. Certain types of cancer in and around Buhler are not higher than average. For months now, the talk in the small community of Buhler around the tables at the Mustard Seed Coffee Shop has been about cancer. "Probably every day, every table was talking about once or twice," Blanca Kaufman of Mustard Seed Coffee Shop said.

“It's like I started running out of breath really fast…so I ran for one minute and then stopped and ran and stopped and ran,” said six year-old Joey Bacon. Joey was four when his mother, Angie, noticed her son started looking tired during soccer games. “But there was one day, I think it was late September, when I noticed he was really pale…that's when I really started paying attention,” said Angie. She started asking other parents if they thought Joey looked different and taking photos to compare his color.

More than half a million dollars is being donated to improve breast cancer services in Kansas.  The Mid-Kansas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure awarded 10 community grants totaling $529,167. The local chapter says it takes funds raised through events like the Wichita Race for the Cure and Cards for the Cure to invest back into the community.  Its goal is to give women access to mammograms, an important component to the early detection to breast cancer. In addition to local grant funding, Komen Mid-Kansas invests 25% of funds raised in the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Award and Research Grant Program supporting research awards and educational and scientific programs around the world.

The Buhler mayor says the Kansas Department of Health and Environment did not find any issues with the grade school's water samples. Mayor Dan Friesen says he doesn't have any more information in regards to KDHE's research on the incident levels of cancer in and around Buhler. However, a KDHE spokesperson says a state epidemiologist found the rates of lung and breast cancer in Reno County as a whole are not statistically different from those of the state as a whole.

There are new recommendations from the U.S. Preventative Service Task Force for how often women should be screened for cervical cancer. Instead of being screened annually, the task force is now recommending women be screened every three years. These new recommendations are identical to what the American Cancer Society recommends. According to the American Cancer Society: All women should begin cervical cancer screening at age 21.   Women between the ages of 21 and 29 should have a Pap test every 3 years.

12 local Kansans are competing to raise money to support people with blood related cancers. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Kansas (LLS) is kicking off its fundraising Man and Woman of the Year campaign. The campaign is a 10 week event where the candidates raise money to help patients with Leukemia and Lymphoma cancers. At the end of the ten weeks, the man and woman who raises the most money are given the title as Kansas Man & Woman of the Year. Each participant "runs" in honor of a local child that is a blood cancer survivor.

It's four words no parent wants to hear, your child has cancer.  But it's news a couple in Rose Hill have taken twice, as their nine-year-old son battles a rare type of cancer. But Charlie Futhey is using You-Tube to show his parents his strength to the fight the disease. Charlie is just like any other kid his age.  He's filled with infectious energy and ready to take on the world, but taking on cancer a second time blew his parents away. “You don't think you're going to go through those emotions again but you do.  I think as his parents, we were handling it rougher than him," said Charlie's mom, Sandy Futhey.

Testing reveals the Buhler Grade School is safe.  But those close to people who've died say that can't be the last word. The day after a meeting detailing the results of an environmental study,  Katelyn Canter--a mom of small children and sister of a Buhler teacher--echoes the fear that something mysterious is killing people. "I think there is something going on," Canter says.  "I think just sitting there saying, well, we can't do anything, isn't enough. " And Buhler Mayor Daniel Friesen says the case is far from closed.  He says he just talked with the Kansas Department of Environment and Health.  He also plans to brainstorm with the city council to consider if the city can or should do anything more.

Alone in her Buhler home, Elaine Franz is comforted by the memories that surround her in picture frames.  But, if it gets too quiet, the sound of her husband's voice isn't far away. "Each morning when I wake-up I say thank you Lord for giving me this gift of another day,” John Franz says those words in a message to his church.  You can hear John's fight with lung cancer in the video. "The doctor said right away, it's not curable.  We can treat it, but we cannot cure it,” Elaine said.

About two weeks ago, the Buhler school district announced it hired a private firm to investigate environmental concerns inside Buhler Grade School.  This after, several community members called and emailed our newsroom.  They were concerned about a "cancer outbreak" at the grade school among teachers and staff.  The district expects those test results next week. Meanwhile, some in Buhler believe there's possibly a bigger problem - a cancer cluster.  Factfinder 12 Investigator  Melissa Scheffler found out why a cancer cluster is hard to prove and if the Buhler cases are enough evidence of a cancer cluster.  That's coming up Sunday, on Eyewitness News at 10.