(NBC) January 15, 2020
The mystery began more than two years ago with a pea-size lump behind the left ear of Susan Wind’s oldest daughter, Taylor, then 16.
A doctor told them it was “nothing to worry about,” likely triggered by teenage hormones. But Wind was unconvinced, and eventually, through testing, Taylor was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer, which is less common in children and would require surgery.
The journey to restore Taylor’s health would lead to Wind uncovering an anomaly lurking in Mooresville, a fast-growing lakeside suburb of Charlotte: On Wind’s street alone, three people had thyroid cancer, while two others had thyroid tumors, she learned.
As she began tracking case after case in her community, Wind believed that what she was seeing was no coincidence, and that something in the environment could be to blame.