A young life was tragically cut short as an Ohio teenager succumbed to complications from a bone marrow transplant, allegedly stemming from a rare genetic condition linked to radiation exposure from a nearby nuclear facility. Her mother has initiated legal action, attributing the condition to environmental factors linked to the plant.

The lawsuit, filed by Cheyenne Dunham’s mother, outlines the circumstances that may have led to the teenager’s illness. According to the legal documents, from her early years, Cheyenne was exposed to the environment around the nuclear plant. The family cultivated a garden in this area, growing staples such as corn, tomatoes, and beans, which were regularly consumed. Additionally, Cheyenne played in a local creek, often coming into contact with and ingesting its water.

Julia Dunham, Cheyenne’s mother, has brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Centrus Energy, holding the company accountable for the radiation emitted by their Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, known as PORTS, which she claims resulted in her daughter’s health issues. Julia, who became the administrator of her daughter’s estate recently, filed the lawsuit in November, seeking justice for Cheyenne’s untimely death at the age of 19 in 2015.

Environmental concerns led to the closure of the nuclear plant in 2001, as its operations were deemed risky due to its proximity to populated areas, including a school just two miles away. This decision underscores the potential hazards posed by such facilities in residential regions.

Further compounding the concerns, in May 2019, Zahn’s Corner Middle School in Piketon, where Cheyenne studied for three years, was abruptly closed. This closure followed the detection of enriched uranium within the school premises, as highlighted in the legal complaint. The school served as Cheyenne’s educational environment from fourth to sixth grade, placing her in a potentially harmful situation during critical developmental years.

“While at Zahn’s Corner, Cheyenne was exposed to radionuclides in excess of federal regulatory limits,” the complaint alleges. “She was also exposed to radionuclides in the Piketon community.”

From birth until “age 4 or 5,” Cheyenne and her family lived at a house located at 257 Bailey Chapel Road in Piketon, Ohio, which bordered PORTS. She attended kindergarten through third grade at Jasper Elementary, which is also in close proximity to PORTS.

“When Cheyenne Dunham was about 16 years old, she began to experience health problems,” the complaint says. “One day her legs turned blue.”

Cheyenne’s mother says she took the teen to a family health facility, which “immediately” transferred her to an emergency room at Southern Ohio Medical Center after she was diagnosed with blood clots in her legs, including the 12-inch clot in her left hip.

Cheyenne was given blood thinners and referred to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with GATA Deficiency, a rare condition that affects the blood and the immune system, according to the complaint.

“To treat this rare condition, Cheyenne Dunham underwent two separate bone marrow transplants, in an attempt to avoid developing Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which was likely to result in death,” the complaint explains. “Following the second bone marrow transplant in February of 2015, Cheyenne became very sick. By May of 2015, her body was rejecting the bone marrow transplant, and her liver cells were under attack. She was in pain and struggled for months before her death.”

Cheyenne died at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on Nov. 15, 2015, with the immediate cause of death being GVHD or Graft-versus-Host Disease “as a consequence of a bone marrow transplant and GATA 1 Mutation,” the complaint says. She allegedly suffered from “chronic fatigue, weakness, constant infections, fear of infections, including multiple blood and iron infusions” before dying.

“Her death was directly and proximately a result from her exposure to radionuclides released from PORTS in excess of federal regulatory limits,” the complaint concludes. “At no time following Cheyenne Dunham’s diagnosis did plaintiff Julia Dunham or Cheyenne Dunham know, nor should plaintiff or Cheyenne Dunham have reasonably known, that Cheyenne Dunham’s chronic diseases and death were related to radiation exposure resulting from defendants’ violations of federal regulations, because no competent medical authority ever informed plaintiff Julia Dunham or Cheyenne Dunham of any such relationship.”

The lawsuit includes studies of the area around the uranium plant that allegedly show high levels of radiation and data tracking cancer rates in Ohio. The counties that contain and are adjacent to the plant — Pike, Scioto, Vinton, Adams, and Lawrence Counties — are among those having the highest cancer rates in Ohio, the complaint says.

“A preliminary review of statewide cancer data recently obtained from the Ohio Department of Health revealed a large excess of childhood blood cancer in the area immediately surrounding the plant,” the complaint alleges.

Julia Dunham is demanding a trial by jury and monetary damages for Cheyenne’s funeral and burial costs, as well as medical expenses. Centrus did not respond to Law&Crime’s requests for comment on Monday.