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August 28, 2008

My husband and I moved to Bedford, VA, in May of 2002. We built our house with care as to downsize for retirement. When finished with the house we then proceeded to plant fruit, fig, nut and oriental trees and finished up with some shrubs around the outside. I went outside one morning for my usual routine, and I could hardly breath! I asked my neighbor what in the world the stench outside was - it smelled just like a sewer. It was absolutely gagging. This was around the 2005-2006 winter time-frame. My neighbor and his wife were working most of the time and he said he thought it might be coming from the paper mill in Big Island. I told him I have smelled paper mills before and it was nothing like this smell. What I smelled was raw sewage. I just thought maybe that it was a guy that lived east of Otterville might be dumping his sewage off the road in the woods.

My husband works out of town and comes home on most weekends. He thought Virginia would be the ideal place to live for us and be close to his work as well. We loved this area and soon settled right in. I was reared in the Western Carolinas so I was no stranger to the rural farm life and its smells. My medical problems began to soar in Jan 2006, with headaches, nose bleeds, etc. When I would wake up in the mornings it would take at least an hour of coughing and hacking before I could get started and then I would have to gargle to get the blood taste out of my mouth!

After all this I decided I had better see a doctor. He informed me that I had a bacterial infection in my nose. He gave me an antibiotic and told me to come back. I went back with the same thing only this time my throat was so sore I could hardly swallow. He checked it, and in the back of my throat were sores on both sides of my tonsils. He prescribed more antibiotics and I was asked to return again. This time when I went back the sores had cleared up some but I was then anemic. He wanted me to start using some sort of blood booster. This whole process of going to the doctor for almost a year was pretty miserable, I can tell you! I decided after this period of time to see an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. He suggested I get a “purge system” for the sinuses. I did what he suggested but was still having bleeding and pain. I was having more and more problems as time went on.

I have been to a neurologist for headaches; he gave me a neurotransmitter to block the headaches (a pill). I started with one and am up to three a day now and I still have headaches! I also see an endocrinologist now for hypothyroidism and a Rheumatologist for psoriatic arthritis. I had psoriasis before coming to Bedford but not psoriatic, that consists of red, itchy, bleeding sores that are controlled by Enbrel injections that I administer to myself. One of the side effects is lymphoma cancer.

I hope this information will help you realize what is happening in Virginia and other states. This type of irresponsibility of all parties involved should not be tolerated. Think of what you are eating!

Sincerely,

Reba Crum Bedford, VA