Key Plaintiff in McCullom Lake Brain Cancer Lawsuit has Died

A key figure in a lawsuit that claimed a chemical company spilled toxic chemicals into the soil and groundwater for decades in McCullom Lake, causing a cluster of brain and pituitary tumors for residents in the town, has died at the age of 54, according to media reports.

Sandy Wierschke was only supposed to live six to nine months after being diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer in 2006, but ended up living 10 more years--enough time to allow her to see the birth of her first grandson and to witness a lawsuit that she and 32 other plaintiffs filed against Rohm and Haas, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical Co., get settled in court in 2014, according to the Northwest Herald.

Sandy’s husband, Tim Wierschke, told the Chicago Tribune Sandy died at her home in Woodstock on Saturday. Sandy was surrounded by family and passed away moments after receiving a "goodnight" kiss from her young grandson, according to a post on the McCullom Lake Documentary Facebook page.

The majority of the settlement money Sandy received from the lawsuit was used to buy a “fixer-upper” in Woodstock, which her and her husband moved into last year and was remodeled to include lifts and ramps to accommodate Sandy’s wheelchair, Sandy told the Chicago Tribune.

"The only little bit of closure is that I made Sandy happy with the house," he told the Chicago Tribune. "I would wheel her out and she could see the deer in the backyard."

The couple was also able to fulfill Sandy’s lifelong dream of visiting Hawaii when Tim and her made the trip last year, the Northwest Herald reports.

Sandy’s family is planning a “celebration of life” ceremony for August, according to the McCullom Lake Documentary Facebook page.

More via the Chicago Tribune, the Northwest Herald and the McCullom Lake Documentary website