A Southern California mom investigating a mysterious cancer cluster that’s claimed the lives of at least six children says the alarming pattern may not stop with people.
Ladera Ranch resident Kira Davis now believes pets in the Orange County community could also be developing serious illnesses, after her own dog was diagnosed with a brain tumor and a flood of neighbors shared similar stories.
Her concerns come as the upscale master-planned community grapples with an unusual number of cases of Ewing sarcoma — a rare form of cancer that has killed at least six children in the neighborhood since 2013.
Davis said she initially thought her family’s experience was a heartbreaking coincidence after her dog suddenly became sick.
“My dog has cancer. She just developed a brain tumor out of nowhere last year and went blind. And she’s only seven or eight,” she told NewsNation host Katie Pavlich on “Katie Pavlich Tonight.” “I thought, ‘Wow, maybe I have bad luck with dogs.’”
But after sharing her dog’s diagnosis in a community chat group, Davis said she was stunned by the response.
“I received dozens and dozens of posts” from neighbors telling her their pets had also become ill, she said, raising new questions about whether something in the community could be affecting both animals and people.
The bone and soft tissue cancer is exceptionally rare, affecting only about 200 to 240 children and teens nationwide each year.
But the California Cancer Registry confirmed there were several cases of Ewing sarcoma in Ladera Ranch during a 10-year period ending in 2021.
Families in the Orange County neighborhood have spent months urging officials to investigate whether environmental factors may have contributed to an alarming number of Ewing sarcoma diagnoses among local children. Many have raised concerns that years of pesticide spraying could be linked to a cluster of rare childhood cancers.
Health officials say no connection has been established, but residents argue the latest data has only raised more questions.
“We’re one of the last suburbs in Southern California to use these particular pesticides. They are harsher chemicals, older chemicals,” Davis told Pavlich. “Most of the communities have moved to organics.”
Another rare cancer reported in Ladera Ranch is synovial sarcoma, which affects fewer than 1,000 Americans each year.
Several studies and investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of the apparent cancer cluster.
Ladera Ranch has also implemented a temporary ban on the use of toxic chemical products while a local advisory committee reviews its landscaping maintenance practices.
“We would love for this to stop,” she said. “We’re not saying it is the pesticides, but if there’s even a chance it’s connected to that, why wouldn’t we switch? Why wouldn’t we? It should be so easy, and yet it’s so hard.”
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