Fort Hood Soldier's Toughest Battle is Not Born Yet

Fort Hood soldier's baby faces rare health condition
KCEN TV 6 News
Jillian Angeline

CAPT. WILLIAM LEASURE'S WIFE, ELISA LEASURE, WAS AT A ROUTINE SONOGRAM AT 20 WEEKS PREGNANT WHEN SHE HEARD THE NEWS NO PARENT WANTS TO HEAR. "THEY GOT ANOTHER SONOGRAPHER TO COME IN AND THAT’S WHEN I KNEW SOMETHING REALLY WASN’T RIGHT,” LEASURE SAID.

HOUSTON - A Fort Hood soldier returned home early from a deployment in Europe to care for his family. His soon-to-be newborn son is facing an uphill battle.

The soldier's wife, Elisa Leasure, was at a routine sonogram at 20 weeks pregnant when she heard the news no parent wants to hear.

"They got another sonographer to come in and that’s when I knew something really wasn’t right,” Leasure said.

Leasure's son, Billy Jr., was diagnosed with Heterotaxy Syndrome -- a condition which affects 1 in 10,000 births where internal organs are misplaced or duplicated. Heterotaxy means "on the different side".

“My first thought is we have to temper our excitement because I know nothing about this disease and of course one of the first things you’re presented with is hey, you should strongly consider abortion,” Captain William Leasure said.

“Rather than being upset like I was, because I was in tears, I just couldn’t think clearly," Elisa Leasure said. "His first thought was well we’ll research it and you know? Worse case scenario, instead of a football player, I’ll have a fishing buddy.”

Billy’s heart developed on the right side of his body, known as right atrial isomerism.
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Vietnam Veterans Unaware of Agent Orange Benefits

VA wants all veterans exposed to Agent Orange to apply for benefits
Salisbury Post
By Rick Johnson
August 24, 2015

Many Vietnam veterans aren’t aware of the Agent Orange presumptive diseases. Furthermore, some veterans choose not to go to the VA for their treatment or some veterans have never thought to apply.

Rowan County Veteran Services

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The first U.S. combat troops arrived in Vietnam in March of 1965.

More than 58,000 Americans died in the Vietnam conflict. Many who survived are fighting diseases the U.S. government now recognizes were caused by a very powerful toxic chemical used in the jungle war zone.

Since 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs has recognized a list of diseases, cancers and illnesses caused by the chemical Agent Orange. The VA is now making a renewed push to ensure everyone knows about the benefits available to veterans sickened by Agent Orange.
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List Of Diseases Connected to Agent Orange
AL Amyloidosis
A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs

Chronic B-cell Leukemias
A type of cancer which affects white blood cells

Chloracne (or similar acneform disease)
A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to respond properly to the hormone insulin

Hodgkin's Disease
A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia

Ischemic Heart Disease
A disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart, that leads to chest pain

Multiple Myeloma
A cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
A group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue

Parkinson's Disease
A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement

Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset
A nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling, and motor weakness. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of herbicide exposure.

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
A disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.

Prostate Cancer
Cancer of the prostate; one of the most common cancers among men

Respiratory Cancers (includes lung cancer)

Cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus

Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or mesothelioma) A group of different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph vessels, and connective tissues

Children with birth defects
VA presumes certain birth defects in children of Vietnam and Korea Veterans are associated with Veterans' qualifying military service.

Veterans with Lou Gehrig's Disease
VA presumes Lou Gehrig's Disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS) diagnosed in all Veterans who had 90 days or more continuous active military service is related to their service, although ALS is not related to Agent Orange exposure.

Documentary on Agent Orange Deliverer of Death and Deformities

Defoliated Island: Agent Orange, Okinawa And The Vietnam War
Published on Jan 23, 2014
This is the English-language version of Defoliated Island, a Japanese award-winning documentary about the usage of Agent Orange on Okinawa during the Vietnam War.

Produced by Okinawa TV station, QAB, the show won national acclaim in Japan when it was first aired in May 2012.

Camp Lejeune polluted water linked to birth defects and childhood cancer

New study links Camp Lejeune's polluted water to birth defects, childhood cancer
Tampa Bay Times
William R. Levesque
Times Staff Writer
Friday, December 6, 2013

Federal scientists have found an increased incidence of some birth defects and cancers such as leukemia in children of mothers exposed to polluted drinking water at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base, according to a new federal report.

The report provides the most significant evidence yet that water may have harmed the health of those who lived at the North Carolina base, including at least 19,350 from Florida.

A draft of the much-anticipated study was released late Thursday by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and surveyed the parents of 12,598 children who were born at Camp Lejeune from 1968 to 1985.

The study found increased incidence of neural tube defects, a serious birth defect involving an opening in the brain or spinal cord, in children whose mothers were exposed to contaminants early in pregnancy. Spina bifida is a type of NTD.

A weaker but still significant link was found between leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma diagnosed before age 20 in those born at the base whose mothers were exposed to tainted water, the report said.
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