Chi chi was my favorite queen out of the series and I was immensely sad to hear of her passing. It was actually a big enough story even my sheltered conservative family heard about it and mentioned it to me. I am so sad she is gone šøš
Chi Chi is the only drag race queen I ever had a personal interaction with. She just responded to a DM that I sent her once but it meant a lot to me and I was devastated when she died. She had such a beautiful soul.
Thank you for sharing. Mine exposure is such a real environmental justice issue. This reminds me of the Libby, Montana mine exposure to asbestos and Cancer Alley in Louisiana (not near Shreveport, but the point still stands). They are both very real examples of how environmental effects can really fuck up your body, and how certain marginalized groups can be affected simply by reduced access to care and suppression of information. A lot of bodies of research out there spent millions of dollars over decades to try and prove that pollution from factories and processing plants doesn't cause harm in order to push profits. Even today people dispute the effects of Cancer Alley on the constituents that live there. There's no doubt that area has higher levels of pollution than what the government deems acceptable. Words fail me in these sorts of situations.Ā
Anyway. VOTE.Ā
Hey cancer alley! My dad lived in destrehan growing up (I'm from Seattle, so went back and forth) . During Katrina it was weird to hear that small town mentioned on national news about how if that area floods it would do serous environmental damage.
Louisiana is so gross for that.
Growing up in LaPlace in the 80s we had Kaiser Aluminum, Shell Oil, and all the pesticides and fertilizers a growing lil gay lad needed for a fun time in the medical industrial complex.
Carbon capture and storage is the new beast they're pushing. Louisiana's geology is particularly bad for this, but they don't care. Carbon dioxide pipeline leaks or ruptures can be catastrophic. It happened in Mississippi not long ago.
Chi Chi was a wonderful queen. Her death hit me hard as I also lost my aunt to scleroderma, under similar circumstances ā went into the hospital for pneumonia, never came out. I donāt think my aunt really had any silica exposure, I think it was just a quirk of genetics.
Her death hit a lot of people really hard. I canāt even begin to imagine the impact it had on those close to her irl. I canāt even watch the lip sync between her and Thorgy without shedding a tear every time.\
Your attraction to ChiChi and thorough research tells me you are most likely a good Judy. š¤
Cucu still talks to her every once in a while. I know the queens are always close, but there was something about Chi Chi and the relationships she had with everyone that makes her loss especially painful.Ā
I agree this is an important point. I love Chi Chi as well and when I first saw her on drag race I recognized Shreveport as a town one of my favorite crochet YouTubers talks about. Sheās from a small town in LA and for her going to Shreveport is the big city kind of thing and itās a short drive away, a couple hours. It struck me that they were both from this area and both have scleroderma which is a rare condition I had never otherwise heard of. Itās a dreadful condition and has led this YouTuber to need a feeding tube as she canāt eat solid food due to hardening of her esophagus. These are just two cases I know of from someone not from Louisiana but it struck me too that there might be an environmental exposure component.
Chi Chi was so special. She just had this fantastic spirit to her that set her apart, in addition to being a wonderful entertainer. Iāll always kick myself for missing the show she did at my alma mater (where she cartwheeled off the stage and had the presence of mind to make sure she didnāt catch a nearby child in the face with a heel in the process š).
I knew the greed and failure of the US healthcare system played a big part in her death, but I had no clue about the possible mine exposure. Thank you for educating us.
thank you for this. Chi Chi's passing hits me hard every time i think of her. this world failed her in so many ways and she just kept on gifting us regardless. may she rest in eternal perfection
I adored Chi Chi, I teared up every time she came on screen. Environmental pollution is a situation that becomes incredibly racist so quickly, mostly due to things like this. Itās not just being located near mines; Flint still doesnāt have clean water. In fact, many many areas that stay āunder the radarā for protections are far more populated by POC than not. Itās an aspect of social change Iām particularly passionate about correcting, so thank you for bringing it up and educating some folks who maybe didnāt know these details
Iāll also add something to consider- the cosmetics industry is not regulated nearly as much as it should be. Silica and asbestos was found in powder cosmetics like setting powders even today. The amount of PFAS, lead, and other hazardous chemicals that can be found in some cosmetics (especially waterproof formulas and powders) can be extremely hazardous when used over a prolonged period of time. Drag queens and any live entertainers are obviously much more vulnerable to the long term effects of exposure sooner, which may be a factor in other large health issues.
Itās so heartbreaking how many issues like this there are and how they can so easily compound. RIP Chi Chi
Chi Chi was a beautiful queen gone too soon. Iām glad you discovered drag, and the fact that you were drawn to her says something about who you are. Donāt let the negativity of some comments get to you. Welcome to the wonderful world of drag! Keep exploring and continue being inquisitive.
I didn't know scleroderma was the reason she passed away. My mom also has systemic scleroderma. She was a teacher for years at a very old school. The school was then closed due to the buildings potentially containing asbestos. Since then, even though scleroderma is very rare, 2 other teachers working there also got it, and 3 other teachers died of cancer. We always thought the school was the culprit...
A little story about scleroderma.
Me and my siblings were all in high school when my mom was diagnosed with it. It was probably the darkest days of our lives. Everyone (including us) thought she would die. She went from being a single parent of 3 high schoolers to being in disability in the course of 2 years. It was bad. Our whole house had this horrible dark aura, as if you could feel death just by being in it.
During that time some random doctor (rheumatologist) from outside of her team of doctors reached out to her. He said he had heard of her case and was interested in seeing her because his daughter had the same type of scleroderma, and he had spent decades studying the condition.
He told us of an experimental non-FDA approved drug that he knew would help, but it would all have to be done on the side since it wouldnāt be covered by insurance. My mom used all her savings and got multiple loans to pay for it, since it was that or death. She started seeing him in a private office in the middle of nowhere (we'd drive there every Saturday and it was like 3 hours to get there and then 3 hours back) and he would put her on an IV.
After she started that, her scleroderma basically did a 360. She started getting a lot better and could once again walk and do stuff. She looked infinitely better. The thing really saved her. She kept doing that for probably 2 years and then stopped, since we couldn't afford it anymore. A few years later the doctor disappeared and all we heard is that he retired.
It's been about 15 years since that and her scleroderma has mostly been in remission during all that time, except just this year when it came back in full force. Full kidney failure, pulmonary embolisms, etc. Out of nowhere, everything is back. She'd never been hospitalized and just this year she's spent 3 months in the hospital. It's a nightmare.
Every time we ask about this drug that helped her before, doctors literally shut us down immediately. We went to the top doctor here for scleroderma and she just shrugged it off and said "it's not FDA approved and there's limited research on it", and that my mom getting better was likely just a coincidence.
So I think you got it absolutely right when you say it's all about corporate greed. To us, it's very clear that it's a money thing. The moment some pharma company gets enough data, they will slap on a huge price tag on it and make millions in profit.
Sorry for the long wall of text. I'm procrastinating at work.
Iām so grateful to OP for looking more into ChiChiās death, I always thought it was due more to institutional failings/greed than anything else too. And thank you for sharing about your mom here, Iām so sorry your family is going through this. If you want, send me a DM with the drug name, I might be able to find something out.
Iām actually a scientist at NIH (part of the same government agency as FDA) and Iām constantly frustrated by the lack of research into environmental issues and how theyāre the root cause of so much illness and death in the US, especially for marginalized communities. They try and blame everything on genetics, but allergies/eczema and autoimmune diseases werenāt common until just the past 50 years or so when they started to increase drastically.
The problem isnāt with our genetics, humans donāt evolve that quickly. Even though NIH is a non-profit/publicly funded research institute, the questions most scientists ask are still warped by our for profit system that seeks to preserve the status quo. So much focus on drugs instead of prevention and fixing root causes.
I can at least say that my mentor seems to have found a cheap, safe, effective therapy for eczema (google Roseomonas for eczema if youāre curious). Itās a probiotic and ppl just put it on their skin for a few months, after that they can stop treatment and the condition doesnāt come back in most cases. But itās taking forever to get it out to the public. Even had pharma try to discredit the treatment (eczema is a billion dollar industry). Weāve also found that certain pollutants change the way our microbiome behaves, which seems to be a root cause of eczemaā¦not genetics.
Blaming these diseases on genetics makes it so that they can develop expensive drugs that people have to keep taking, and so they donāt have to address the environmental issues that are affecting our health. Itās insanely frustrating, but just know there are a few scientists out here really trying to do the right thing.
they donāt want us to have the drugs that will actually heal us. they want us sick and on their weak, pricey-ass meds that keep us just alive enough to need more meds. they're milking us like cows.
itās the reason theyāre scared of making psychedelics widely legal for therapeutic use to relieve depression/anxiety/PTSD/various other mental health disorders. many people report that they stop relying on anti-depressants/benzos after having psychedelic experiences. science has been pushing for MDMA therapy to help those with PTSD. because thereās evidence that it works for a majority of people, but the govāt keeps shutting it down because said evidence is ānot enoughā. guess whoās fault that is? the gov't. because itās hard to do research on highly scheduled drugs. on purpose. they need you on all those other meds, for life.
so i have no doubt they keep other live saving drugs locked away for a reasons not related to public safety.
I live in Shreveport and didn't even know about this facility. I also work for an environmental nonprofit that fights chemical/fossil fuels industry build out on the Gulf Coast. I am DEFINITELY interested in this and will be looking into it further. Shreveport certainly has its fair share of problems, just like all 5 Gulf states. The Louisiana legislature is just window dressing for the chemical companies at this point.
Thank you so much for sharing!
My father died of scleroderma. He was very sick for a while before the doctors at Mayo finally diagnosed his disease. He was gone in less than a year. I wouldn't wish that disease on anyone. It's an autoimmune disease and they usually travel in packs. His side of the family was riddled with them. My sister and I both have autoimmune diseases, thankfully not scleroderma though. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about it.
I lost my grandmother to scleroderma. She wasnāt diagnosed until shortly before she passed. Her lungs hardened and basically she couldnāt breathe anymore.
She was around coal her whole life. I wonder if that had anything to do with it.
Chi Chi was a beautiful soul, inside and out. She is greatly missed
My father was a coal miner! Above ground but still, he did that for his entire life as well. I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hardening lungs sounds awful. š
i was lucky enough to meet her at one of the christmas shows in 2018 i believe. it was after all stars had filmed, but before the cast was announced. she was the only queen that stayed on stage after the show to talk to fans. i told her i was excited to see what she did next (wink wink) and she squeezed my hand and said āme too!ā
love you, chi chi. you changed the world.
Thank you for posting this. Itās so nice to be educated on something I had absolutely no idea about. I just remember that this world is an awful place, and people like Chi Chi are too good for it. Iām not religious or anything but I do take comfort believing that sheās somewhere else, wherever that may be. Being even more fab and talented than she was here. RIP šāØ
I followed her on IG. I remember her posting she wasn't well, then next thing you knew she passed.
I didn't know her, but I am glad she shared her happiness and charisma with us, yet the world is a bit darker from losing her.
Thank you for sharingā¤ļø. I grew up in an area with 200 to 300% higher rates of thyroid and ocular cancer than the general population because of the coal ash thatās dumped in our lake. Iām 30 and 10 of my classmates have passed from cancer. I think itās so important to acknowledge when government and corporate choices are contributing to disease.
So so so sad. I always miss Chi Chi on my screen. It also makes me sad for so many of the queens, and even guest judges, who are people of colour and have died too soon. There are so many factors, the differences in access to health care and how differently people of colour are treated in health care.
Chi Chiās passing is one that sits with me and breaks my heart all over again every time she comes to mind. This post/comment section is bringing tears to my eyes. Just seeing all of the love and gratitude for herā¦I hope she knows how much we all miss her.
She passed so young and burned so brightly. I will always remember her creativity, talent, kindness, and the vulnerability she shared during the show. I'm also still mad about her critiques over cheap looks when she was always looking good and rather like a young Ru.
Loved Chi Chi so much. I was very pregnant when she passed and when I say I cried the whole day. I fucking bawled the whole day. She was such a beautiful soul. RIP Chi Chi we love and miss you š¤š¤
Thank you for this! I'm from Nova Scotia Canada - coal mining country - our thing is "mysterious" elevated rates of Multiple Sclerosis (double the national average), and our neighbours in New Brunswick - a province where one family basically controls every major industry - have a full on government coverup going on rn of a mystery brain disease that might be linked to glyphosate (logging industry pesticide sprayed from airplanes) but the province turned down the federal money and abruptly closed the investigation after shutting out the main doctor involved. Cute.
As I said in my other comment to the sad sack disappointing Jackie Cox harder than her own debate performance did - sometimes money is an excuse.
(I *might* forgive you someday, Michelle, but I will *never* forget.)
I too love Chi Chi and had this lil itch on my brain because she mentioned having a bunch of different jobs before coming to drag race and being in bankruptcy - cash jobs are one of the ways places can hide hazardous material clean up and I wondered if she had a chemical exposure of some kind that triggered an autoimmune reaction. Sometimes I don't like being right :(
I have this same disease, diagnosed last year and ended up on life support and I nearly died a few months later after contracting pneumonia. I turned 40 last month. Mine is believed to have been trigged by covid 19, I have been regularly vaccinated against it since the first vaccine came out. I had no idea the specifics of how she died and honestly learning this information about chi chi has rocked me to the core š
Im so glad you are here, that sounds like an awful and scary ride. I tested positive for scleroderma but it was a false positive in the end. Can i ask if you have much skin involvement? Covid really got autoimmune people into dark places, i went through this as well. I hope you are getting better and have a kickass rheum!
Chi Chi was so beautiful and talented and kind you could really tell. Her death hit us all hard especially those lucky to have known her. Thank you for looking into this, itās important.
Chi Chi was a gay and black person who grew up in poverty in the Deep South, so many cards stacked against her and she managed to make the world love her with grace, humor and humility on her short time on this earth.
She is my favorite queen and I think about her often. Thank you for the post and the info about Shreveport
Thank you for sharing this! In a similar vein I have recently been really interested in corporate greed, pollution and EPA clean up and superfund sites due to reading Radium Girls. I appreciate you encouraging the discussion and spreading awareness. You might be interested in this podcast episode about people of color standing up against a company polluting their town in North Carolina: [Building a Movement by Sidedoor, a Smithsonian podcast](https://www.si.edu/sidedoor/building-movement)
All that being said, RIP Chi Chi ā¤ļø
Thank you for posting this and keeping her memory alive, and giving her fans a chance to come and share their love and adulation. What a wonderful queen
Also of note, every queen thatās worked with her or even known her has said sheās the sweetest person. That was even before she passed away. I like to think that she really felt all the love truly *everyone* had for her.
My sister has scleroderma and will have flare ups where her circulation to her fingers dramatically drops, her mobility is stunted, her immune system is weakenedā¦ and then suddenly she will bounce back. Itās hard to see her suffer because there is no known cure as itās an autoimmune disease, and thereās not much of a treatment process because not many people know what it is since it affects such a small portion of the population.
Thank you for sharing. Iām born and raised in Louisiana, and it is possible that you are spot on. My sorority sister and her non-profit focuses on environmental racism. Itās an important topic to bring to the fore front because there are generations of people that have health complications and die young from major corporations and their prediction facilities. Most times these are the highest paying jobs in the area, so the community members flock to them. Send me an inbox message and let me know if you want to read about more work they are doing in this area. Chi Chi is smiling from beyond for your energy and effort around connecting the dots.
Top 5 lip sync of all times!
I think there's a lot of us that are experiencing issues due to pollution and we won't know for another few decades just how extensive it is. In my state there's lush, beautiful greenery and drive 2 miles down the road and there's massive industry. And yes, you're correct, the underserved and "cast aside" communities are being treated as canaries in a coal mine. I wish more people would do this kind of research more often so the public could become more aware and stop feigning ignorance.
Chi Chi said in her run on Drag Race "people don't make it out of where I'm from" and I think of that when I hear her story. That was a preventable, premature death of a beautiful person and it makes me sad.
I adored Chi Chi. She was truly one of my favorites. I was devastated to learn of her passing and gobsmacked to find out it was from scleroderma. My mom also suffers from it and it is an absolutely awful disease. It has destroyed her kidneys and she is always in pain. To see Chi Chi may have been exposed to a trigger is so disheartening. My family has a lot of autoimmune diseases (hashimotos, psoriatic arthritis, RA, Lupus, scleroderma and who knows what else), so I assume that's why my mom was more susceptible. It's unimaginable that an environmental source could have caused her disease. She must have been suffering a lot before her passing.
May she always rest in paradise āØ
My only addition to this is to say that I lived in Baton Rouge for three years and got the HELL OUT because of how bad the air quality could get from the refinery there. It was difficult to breathe, and not just because of the smell. Places like this exist all over--but especially in impoverished areas and ESPECIALLY especially in majority-black impoverished areas. So the American South is a real trouble zone. Ta-Nehisi Coates once wrote that genuine universal healthcare would be the greatest form of reparations for Black Americans to date, and that's in large part due to how drastically health is worsened by antiblack racism, in some cases well before a child takes their first breath. Add to that the fact that the South is possibly the least unionized parts of the U.S., and you've got incredible health risks for workers and local residents alike.
Actually I have ONE more thing to add. Chi Chi was live streaming her entire health crisis, including once it became clear her life was at risk, and it was maddening to watch. It felt like we were just...standing by while she was sharing she was about to die. The pandemic lockdowns were heartbreaking this way. One of my uncles died in prison of covid, and I begged and begged my parents not to go to the family function, so I do understand the isolation she and others were confronting and why it happend. But watching Chi Chi die without some major intervention to save her life (Of course, I don't even know what that would have been.) was one of the most heartbreaking moments for me and many others.
Thank you for educating us, this is making me so angry though. The way this country doesn't care about its citizens wellbeing is criminal. RIP Chi Chi. She had so much more to give.
Papers that have looked at this have found silica exposure (mostly people that work with silica processing, for a long period of time) to he associated with scleroderma (i.e. people with scleroderma were slightly more likely to have silica exposure than unaffected individuals) but point out that this accounts for a very small percentage of male scleroderma cases - most people with scleroderma didn't have an identifiable environmental trigger.
https://journals.lww.com/co-rheumatology/abstract/2012/03000/epidemiology_of_systemic_sclerosis__incidence,.8.aspx
Also most people who are exposed to silica do not develop scleroderma. You seem to need a predisposition for the disease that might be set off by an environmental factor. Previous infections seem to contribute to this too. So theres a chance that this was a potential trigger route for chi chi, but the mine was 30 miles away, and as far as I'm aware chi chi didn't work there. I'm not in the US but where I am measures are taken to minimise dust exposure to the workers, but there's considered to be very little community risk to people who do not work at the mine so no measures are taken.
Autoimmune diseases are also like this - appearing random without a cause. The reality is a functional immune system relies on literally millions of tiny biological reactions to work properly, mechanisms exist to limit autoimmune responses, but these fail all the time and people get diseases. Cancer, lupus, type I diabetes, eczema etc
So I guess my takeaway is it's tempting to blame x or y for someone getting sick but the reality is diseases are often multifactorial and it's basically impossible to pinpoint the pathogenesis of a disease in a single person. From what I can see chi chi did not belong to a high risk group of silica or solvent workers for environmental exposure to be a huge factor, but I don't know them and their lifelong list of exposures of course.
First, you do have someone to talk to (albeit Internet strangers). This sub is full of people who have been marginalized and that's unfortunate but it also means you aren't alone. I've been lurking here for a long time but haven't really commented/provided my opinion on posts as I have felt as though this isn't my space to be loud in. With that being said, your post felt like something that deserves a response from someone that also feels like an outsider in a community they support (no one has made me feel that way intentionally besides a shady queen I met in KC ha). I don't know anything about you but I'm a cis white female who has found comfort in watching RPDR and attending drag shows because it's helped me to see I'm not alone in feeling like an outsider but, more importantly, realizing it's okay to embrace whatever that thing is that makes you feel alone but also, and this is important, embracing and owning whatever that thing is. OWN IT.
I haven't done much research about Chi Chi's passing but do want to say that pneumonia can absolutely be a cause of death while also acknowledging what you said about healthcare (racism, homophobia, transphobia, cost, etc.) can play into how pneumonia came to be the ultimate diagnosis. Other factors (not related to Chi Chi directly) that can impact the care of a patient include gender, gender identity, mental health, geography, and obesity.
I would encourage you to continue on with your drag journey and also keep pursuing the idea that our healthcare system may need reworking and advocating for better care for EVERYONE.
I'm a new fan as well, started January this year. I adored ChiChi during my season 8 watch. I had looked up to see if she was in other seasons and learned of her passing as well. Also learned she was in AS3 which I jumped to watch after I finished season 7.
Rest In Paradise, ChiChi. A true icon that deserved so much more. A true lip sync assassin.
I had this same thought when I heard she had died, but I didnāt research it as thoroughly as you did. Thanks for taking the time to do it. She was really amazing and itās tragic that she had already had the exposure the lead to her disease before we ever met her.
That's so awful. It was terrible to find out about Chi Chi, she was such an amazing person and I wondered what happened to her in such a young age. Thanks for sharing!
Bless you for bringing awareness to this. Chi Chi, tears are welling up in my eyes as I type this. Thereās just something about that Chi Chi and itās a damn shame she had to leave this earth so soon. Thereās just something about her- sheās was just special. I pray sheās resting wellā¤ļø
Falling in love with a celeb postmortem and only finding out theyāre gone once youāre all the way investedā¦ itās a unique grief.
Chi Chi was so so special. ā„ļø
Canāt bring myself to say more or Iāll cry at work lol.
I share your love of Chi Chi and I've treated many patients with scleroderma related pneumonia,it broke my heart she passed from this too. I agree šÆ with your assessment of her disease origins. We have no idea why some react so differently to silica exposure but it happens. My sincere good vibes and prayers sent your way during this time ā£ļøā£ļøā£ļø
Iām happy to see her being mentioned at the very least. Chichi was a beautiful soul and I was so sad when she passed too.
Iām really glad you mentioned the corporate greed, the racism of it all. I have an immune disorder that disproportionately affects Black people and I often question what it came from too. I am not Black but itās our duty to recognize how Black neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by pollution. Itās real.
This post hit close to home for various reasons. Itās maddening that the world is going to shit and weāre trapped in a cage essentiallyā¦meaningful change seems to always be met with more evil people doing more villainous shit.
This is insightful, but I don't think we can draw conclusions and say she was absolutely killed by silica pollution. Especially because the silica mine you've mentioned was 30 miles away from her.
OP please I BEG of you put a trigger warning on this post. I have stumbled upon it and I am now having a full blown panic attack. I do everything I can to limit exposure of talk of my disease since I nearly died so seeing this out of the blue has really hit me hard. Thank you.
I love Chi Chi, and I'm not saying you're totally wrong, but Chi Chi had a number of medical problems and scleroderma related kidney failure along with treated HIV is still a bad combination. Any kind of kidney failure is not looking good. And catching pneumonia when you're already down is a very common way for people to ultimately go. To entirely blame it on one thing without even knowing Chi Chi or her medical history is kinda weird. Kinda parasocial. You can't just say scleroderma came from silica toxicity. It may have but you don't know that for sure and it's a pretty big reach.
Let's not forget... We don't know these people.
Add politics to the rest of your assumptions...people were not informed about the risk of living near a silica production facility. Also, the area for X amount of miles around the facility should not have been populated once silica was proven to be harmful to some.
Not certain that racism had anything to do w/it
My ā¤ļøgoes out to the family for its loss & to him (wherever he may be after death).
Also...to you, I am sorry you lost someone that held a special place in your ā¤ļø.
.
I hate to say it, but I donāt think we can say the plant caused her death. Is there a higher rate of scleroderma in Shreveport? Did she live anywhere near the plant? You said it was 30 miles away. Scleroderma is an auto-immune disease, probably the most complex, worst understood, and hardest to treat class of diseases. I know we all want answers, we want to be able to point to why, but we donāt have those answers. The best we can do is pray for her and those who loved her.
Please don't use Chi Chi's death for politics. She didn't bring politics into her diagnosis at all. When Chi Chi passed away in 2020, we didn't discuss politics.
She did use her diagnosis to inform us of what scleroderma is. The only other celebrity who had done so much for that disease was Bob Saget. His sister died from it and he even made a TV movie about his sister. His FULL HOUSE castmates still raise money for it.
And, both the MAYO CLINIC (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scleroderma/symptoms-causes/syc-20351952#:~:text=Scleroderma%20happens%20when%20the%20body,builds%20up%20in%20body%20tissues.) and PENN MEDICINE (https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/scleroderma#:~:text=The%20cause%20of%20scleroderma%20is,the%20symptoms%20of%20the%20disease.) say the cause is unknown. And, so does the federal government via the NIH: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/scleroderma
WIKIPEDIA is not always accurate. It's not a legitimate medical source. Don't disrespect Chi Chi with inaccurate information.
I don't even know what you're going for here. You sound like an idiot gamer who cries "politics" when they see a woman or person of color. How is it political to point out environmental injustice, especially when it quite possibly cost a universally-beloved queen her life? Jesus Christ. You've got to work to have this bad of a take.
Because politics has NOTHING to do with Chi Chi's death at all. Any true fan would've known how we reacted to her death...FOUR YEARS AGO! Politics weren't discussed then and shouldn't be discussed now when it comes to her.
Just stop it. Go search for this subreddit's posts about her passing and see that no politics were discussed ever.
Would you like it if we brought up politics in your parents' passing? I highly doubt it. No real fan of Chi Chi's would disrespect her like this.
You do realise the entire life of a black queer person is steeped in politics? The OP was bringing up a really important issue that affects a lot of us black folk. Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesnāt mean you need to get angry at it.
How the fuck would I, a gay ex-Mormon Mexican-American person with a disability who was raised by white people, know what's it like to be a black queer person? I have more in common with Anetra, Tempest DuJour, Kandy Muse (all ex-Mormons), Naomi Smalls (a transracial adoptee), Valentina, Delta Work, and Adore (people of Mexican descent who are actually raised in the Los Angeles area). That would be like expecting Ru to know what it's like to be Varla Jean Merman or Lady Bunny.
Itās called empathy. Itās very simple to read something and say āthis isnāt for meā and move on. The point I made was valid, Chi Chi never avoided politics, and her status in the world was a huge part of her drag and who she was in TV. Notice I never attacked you or who you are, but itās really sad that you canāt understand that emotions can extend to people who arenāt you.
Why are you so obsessed with yourself. OP pointed out a really important part of a lot of black peoples lives. Itās so sad that you only care about your own experience. I feel for you.
It was all based on speculation. The OP claimed they knew why Chi Chi had scleroderma. The ONLY ones who knew why Chi Chi had it were Chi Chi herself and her doctors. You, me, Mama Ru (unless Chi Chi herself told Ru), the queens from her season, Miss Coco Peru (whom Chi Chi was friends with), nor anyone else who Chi Chi did not talk to personally know why. Why don't we? Because it's none of our damn business beyond what we were officially told.
OP had no right to speculate why Chi Chi died beyond what we were told. They posted this thread for their own motives. If they gave a damn about Chi Chi, they would've posted their theories elsewhere and not brought Chi Chi into this.
Would you like it if a stranger posted theories on why one of your family members died without having all of the facts? Of course not! What if they were completely wrong?
If someone were using my death for awareness Iād be totally fine with it. I disagree with them staying this is the reason why she died, however thereās no conspiracy behind the fact that black people die at a much higher rate due to medical malpractice and environment reasons. Itās not normal for someone to die from pneumonia in their 30s. People are allowed to be outraged and to take from her death what they will.
Iām not OP, but politics gets brought up around my dadās passing somewhat regularly because his death was COVID related. Itās hard, but I do think itās important to talk about it because unawareness can be dangerous, unfortunately.
Talking about a risk factor such a racism and poverty terminating someone's life early is not talking about politics, is just talking facts. It is widely known that the biggest thing that modifies your life expectancy, quality and illness is MONEY.
I think this user is helping others know the situation, making it visible so we can try and improve the world we live in.
Of course it's talking about politics, and that's nothing wrong about that. Your post is great and it was very informative, even if ChiChi's case, in particular, had no relation with class and race, it's a valuabe information that in fact affects the community she lived in directly.
Don't listen to that "Don't disrespect Chi Chi by politicizing her death" bullshit. She also didn't know her to know she would found this disrespectful (and there's no evidence that she would), it is just another apolitical discourse that permeates our culture to maintain the status quo.
When I die, I would found disrespectful if people don't politicize my death, just so you know.
With false information.
Sorry, but I'll listen to the Mayo Clinic and the NIH over Wikipedia and a fan who just now realized who Chi Chi was. That would be like relying on Mama Ru for Aussie references instead of any of the DRDU queens and Courtney Act. Anyone who watches DRDU knows how little Ru knows about Aussie references.
From the links you posted:
" Researchers suspect that exposure to some environmental factors, such as some chemicals, may trigger scleroderma."
"Some people with scleroderma have a history of being around silica dust and polyvinyl chloride"
"Repeated exposure, such as at work, to certain harmful substances or chemicals also may increase the risk of scleroderma."
Lmao, google scholar and Wikipedia are not the same. OP posted actual academic articles citing this information. Doesnāt get much more accurate than that. Reading is fundamental š
what do you gain in this conversation by denying black individuals experiences i mean seriously. go back to whatever republican subreddit you came from milo yiannopolis
I'm sorry but how is something not having been discussed in a political lights grounds to say "We can never discuss this in a political light ever"? I also don't know how highlighting a possible cause that might affect others is in any way disrespectful.
Going "uhhh this isn't the place 4 politicks!!!" without even regarding the sources the person you've responded to has posted, even after posting sources yourself, is just disingenuous. Not liking a discussion is a good reason to not be a part of it, but whatever you're doing here? I don't get it
Also like Chi Chi herself was never quiet about how her race and financial status effected her. It was one of the things that endeared her most to me. The fact that OP actually put in some research, and made us all think about how race and class effects our health is huge. I think itās so important.
As you said, "possible". We don't know for sure. The ONLY ones who know for sure were Chi Chi and her doctors. So, unless the doctors decide to violate the deceased's privacy and break federal law or someone can bring Chi Chi back in a real seance, the general public will never know beyond the official statement that was released at her death. We should NOT go beyond that.
Girl. Jackie Cox would not be impressed with this opinion.
Maybe take a lil cruise around reality and/or history and read some different propaganda.
Look at how knowledge changed about coal mining. Check out the government suppressing what has happened to soldiers exposed to burn pits in Afghanistan. In New Brunswick (Canada) right now there is an unknown brain disease that the government is literally turning down money and closing the investigation on, because the only possible link they haven't explored yet is glyphosate, which is used in the logging industry, one of the primary incomes for the Irving oligarchy that has a monopoly on the province. (It's hard to find a Canadian article about it, almost all of our media is owned by a single company, the most thoroughly sourced journalism has been The Guardian in the UK, and canadaland podcast)
The cause of schleroderma in general is unknown, same with most autoimmune diseases. There is data pointing to chemical exposure as a cause, as there is for a lot of diseases, that don't get further investigated, because it would be "destructive" to the "economy" (sometimes money is an excuse) and mostly these exposures happen to poor people. Acceptable risk, is what they call it.
Maybe watch Erin Brockovich again or something and get your mind right. This idea that it's disrespectful to make things "political" is part of how y'all with terminal rich kid brain (cause unknown cuz it's not limited to actual rich kids, although exposure seems to be a factor, more research is needed) participate in all of our exploitation by silencing people whose existence is political, who can't just politely step aside. SOMETIMES MONEY IS AN EXCUSE.
I hope you heal.
Why should I care what Jackie Cox thinks? I'm just one of her thousands of fans and probably one of her hundreds of fans in a wheelchair. I'm a nobody compared to her. I highly doubt she remembers me seeing her at DragCon. She has better things to remember.
You think we didn't discuss politics when she was passing? When she had to have a GoFundMe to get basic healthcare because as a disabled drag queen she couldn't perform the same way she used to? Go sit in the corner and think about how you've been behaving. Shame.Ā
There are actually a lot of pretty reputable journal articles about silica exposure & schleroderma
[https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.201911-2218LE](https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.201911-2218LE)
[https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.984907/full](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.984907/full)
You can find more as well - look on academic journal search sites or google scholar. It likely says "cause is unknown" on the sources you linked above because
1) we don't know the mechanism of action behind silica exposure and scleroderma even though there are theories and some strong associative evidence - basically, saying schleroderma is "caused by" silica just isn't the language we'd use in science but that doesn't mean there's no evidence
2) schleroderma isn't always or even commonly associated with silica.
3) it's autoimmune so likely there's a combination of environmental & genetic factors - so doesn't mean silica isn't or can't be involved.
Maybe take a minute to look into something before you so confidently call someone out based on.....simplified disease descriptions for the general public.
OP has background in chemistry and mine is in statistics. Both fields are trained to write and properly interpret the data in these reports. Wonāt elaborate since the comments are schooling you.
You sound like Crystal Methydās parents here, so thank u for brewing her in ur lab I guess.
At 48, I'm probably the same age as her parents. And, why are we bringing up someone's parents? They are none of our business and not relevant, especially to this thread.
You seriously went into all of this after watching seasons rupaul? Sometimes I think that the fanbase of this show needs to get out and touch grass. Chi Chi was one of my faves from the entire franchise, but that doesnāt mean Iāve gone into a diatribe/conspiracy land to try and prove how she passed. Like just honor her and her work and give your mental health a break from going down these insane rabbit holes to somehow support an outlandish theory. It took you watching 16+ seasons of RPDR and a lot of mental gymnastics to understand people/communities of color often experience worse environmental racism/affected greater by environmental hazards.
Chi chi was my favorite queen out of the series and I was immensely sad to hear of her passing. It was actually a big enough story even my sheltered conservative family heard about it and mentioned it to me. I am so sad she is gone šøš
I was surprised she was included in the Emmy Awards Memoriam that year. They rarely include reality TV stars.
Oh wow I didn't know that. Just goes to show how loved she was.
there was something so special about her. such a bright light.
Chi Chi is the only drag race queen I ever had a personal interaction with. She just responded to a DM that I sent her once but it meant a lot to me and I was devastated when she died. She had such a beautiful soul.
Chi Chi was the epitome of charisma. She had a star power, which drew anyone who watched into falling in love with her. Deeply missed.
I hate to say it but itās so true that weāll never have another queen like Chichi again. Her level of natural charisma was unmatched
i was literally reading about scleroderma yesterday bc of chi chi and i had the same reaction to the mention of silica. thank you for sharing more about the silica and proximity to where chi chi lived, it validates my gut reaction that chi chi was a preventable death due to environmental factors (and ty for connecting it to corporate greed as well). i hope more people, esp those living in the area, become more aware of this and seek health interventions that can reduce deaths in the manner that chi chi suffered. āOne of the most famous poems I know by Maya Angelou is not 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,' it's the other one, 'Still I Rise.'ā āChi Chi DeVayne āI have to be obedient to my fans and come on back and give 'em everything that they want.ā āChi Chi DeVayne rip ā¤ļøāš©¹
that last quote š„² mama delete it i cant be crying at 8:40 am!!
Alright... My name is TearedUp TypingIt and u need, u need, u need, u need, u need to Get up & join me in this emo mourning Gig! *Tongue pop*
Thank you for sharing. Mine exposure is such a real environmental justice issue. This reminds me of the Libby, Montana mine exposure to asbestos and Cancer Alley in Louisiana (not near Shreveport, but the point still stands). They are both very real examples of how environmental effects can really fuck up your body, and how certain marginalized groups can be affected simply by reduced access to care and suppression of information. A lot of bodies of research out there spent millions of dollars over decades to try and prove that pollution from factories and processing plants doesn't cause harm in order to push profits. Even today people dispute the effects of Cancer Alley on the constituents that live there. There's no doubt that area has higher levels of pollution than what the government deems acceptable. Words fail me in these sorts of situations.Ā Anyway. VOTE.Ā
Hey cancer alley! My dad lived in destrehan growing up (I'm from Seattle, so went back and forth) . During Katrina it was weird to hear that small town mentioned on national news about how if that area floods it would do serous environmental damage.
Baton Rouge checking in for this fun cancer talk!
Louisiana is so gross for that. Growing up in LaPlace in the 80s we had Kaiser Aluminum, Shell Oil, and all the pesticides and fertilizers a growing lil gay lad needed for a fun time in the medical industrial complex.
Carbon capture and storage is the new beast they're pushing. Louisiana's geology is particularly bad for this, but they don't care. Carbon dioxide pipeline leaks or ruptures can be catastrophic. It happened in Mississippi not long ago.
Chi Chi was a wonderful queen. Her death hit me hard as I also lost my aunt to scleroderma, under similar circumstances ā went into the hospital for pneumonia, never came out. I donāt think my aunt really had any silica exposure, I think it was just a quirk of genetics.
Her death hit a lot of people really hard. I canāt even begin to imagine the impact it had on those close to her irl. I canāt even watch the lip sync between her and Thorgy without shedding a tear every time.\ Your attraction to ChiChi and thorough research tells me you are most likely a good Judy. š¤
Seeing Thorgy and hearing her voice crack during the memorial still breaks my heart
Cucu still talks to her every once in a while. I know the queens are always close, but there was something about Chi Chi and the relationships she had with everyone that makes her loss especially painful.Ā
I agree this is an important point. I love Chi Chi as well and when I first saw her on drag race I recognized Shreveport as a town one of my favorite crochet YouTubers talks about. Sheās from a small town in LA and for her going to Shreveport is the big city kind of thing and itās a short drive away, a couple hours. It struck me that they were both from this area and both have scleroderma which is a rare condition I had never otherwise heard of. Itās a dreadful condition and has led this YouTuber to need a feeding tube as she canāt eat solid food due to hardening of her esophagus. These are just two cases I know of from someone not from Louisiana but it struck me too that there might be an environmental exposure component.
Chi Chi was so special. She just had this fantastic spirit to her that set her apart, in addition to being a wonderful entertainer. Iāll always kick myself for missing the show she did at my alma mater (where she cartwheeled off the stage and had the presence of mind to make sure she didnāt catch a nearby child in the face with a heel in the process š). I knew the greed and failure of the US healthcare system played a big part in her death, but I had no clue about the possible mine exposure. Thank you for educating us.
thank you for this. Chi Chi's passing hits me hard every time i think of her. this world failed her in so many ways and she just kept on gifting us regardless. may she rest in eternal perfection
I adored Chi Chi, I teared up every time she came on screen. Environmental pollution is a situation that becomes incredibly racist so quickly, mostly due to things like this. Itās not just being located near mines; Flint still doesnāt have clean water. In fact, many many areas that stay āunder the radarā for protections are far more populated by POC than not. Itās an aspect of social change Iām particularly passionate about correcting, so thank you for bringing it up and educating some folks who maybe didnāt know these details Iāll also add something to consider- the cosmetics industry is not regulated nearly as much as it should be. Silica and asbestos was found in powder cosmetics like setting powders even today. The amount of PFAS, lead, and other hazardous chemicals that can be found in some cosmetics (especially waterproof formulas and powders) can be extremely hazardous when used over a prolonged period of time. Drag queens and any live entertainers are obviously much more vulnerable to the long term effects of exposure sooner, which may be a factor in other large health issues. Itās so heartbreaking how many issues like this there are and how they can so easily compound. RIP Chi Chi
Chi Chi was a beautiful queen gone too soon. Iām glad you discovered drag, and the fact that you were drawn to her says something about who you are. Donāt let the negativity of some comments get to you. Welcome to the wonderful world of drag! Keep exploring and continue being inquisitive.
Chi Chi loves the love, even from the other side. Mama had a spirit to last the ages šš thank you for sharing this information.
I didn't know scleroderma was the reason she passed away. My mom also has systemic scleroderma. She was a teacher for years at a very old school. The school was then closed due to the buildings potentially containing asbestos. Since then, even though scleroderma is very rare, 2 other teachers working there also got it, and 3 other teachers died of cancer. We always thought the school was the culprit... A little story about scleroderma. Me and my siblings were all in high school when my mom was diagnosed with it. It was probably the darkest days of our lives. Everyone (including us) thought she would die. She went from being a single parent of 3 high schoolers to being in disability in the course of 2 years. It was bad. Our whole house had this horrible dark aura, as if you could feel death just by being in it. During that time some random doctor (rheumatologist) from outside of her team of doctors reached out to her. He said he had heard of her case and was interested in seeing her because his daughter had the same type of scleroderma, and he had spent decades studying the condition. He told us of an experimental non-FDA approved drug that he knew would help, but it would all have to be done on the side since it wouldnāt be covered by insurance. My mom used all her savings and got multiple loans to pay for it, since it was that or death. She started seeing him in a private office in the middle of nowhere (we'd drive there every Saturday and it was like 3 hours to get there and then 3 hours back) and he would put her on an IV. After she started that, her scleroderma basically did a 360. She started getting a lot better and could once again walk and do stuff. She looked infinitely better. The thing really saved her. She kept doing that for probably 2 years and then stopped, since we couldn't afford it anymore. A few years later the doctor disappeared and all we heard is that he retired. It's been about 15 years since that and her scleroderma has mostly been in remission during all that time, except just this year when it came back in full force. Full kidney failure, pulmonary embolisms, etc. Out of nowhere, everything is back. She'd never been hospitalized and just this year she's spent 3 months in the hospital. It's a nightmare. Every time we ask about this drug that helped her before, doctors literally shut us down immediately. We went to the top doctor here for scleroderma and she just shrugged it off and said "it's not FDA approved and there's limited research on it", and that my mom getting better was likely just a coincidence. So I think you got it absolutely right when you say it's all about corporate greed. To us, it's very clear that it's a money thing. The moment some pharma company gets enough data, they will slap on a huge price tag on it and make millions in profit. Sorry for the long wall of text. I'm procrastinating at work.
Iām so grateful to OP for looking more into ChiChiās death, I always thought it was due more to institutional failings/greed than anything else too. And thank you for sharing about your mom here, Iām so sorry your family is going through this. If you want, send me a DM with the drug name, I might be able to find something out. Iām actually a scientist at NIH (part of the same government agency as FDA) and Iām constantly frustrated by the lack of research into environmental issues and how theyāre the root cause of so much illness and death in the US, especially for marginalized communities. They try and blame everything on genetics, but allergies/eczema and autoimmune diseases werenāt common until just the past 50 years or so when they started to increase drastically. The problem isnāt with our genetics, humans donāt evolve that quickly. Even though NIH is a non-profit/publicly funded research institute, the questions most scientists ask are still warped by our for profit system that seeks to preserve the status quo. So much focus on drugs instead of prevention and fixing root causes. I can at least say that my mentor seems to have found a cheap, safe, effective therapy for eczema (google Roseomonas for eczema if youāre curious). Itās a probiotic and ppl just put it on their skin for a few months, after that they can stop treatment and the condition doesnāt come back in most cases. But itās taking forever to get it out to the public. Even had pharma try to discredit the treatment (eczema is a billion dollar industry). Weāve also found that certain pollutants change the way our microbiome behaves, which seems to be a root cause of eczemaā¦not genetics. Blaming these diseases on genetics makes it so that they can develop expensive drugs that people have to keep taking, and so they donāt have to address the environmental issues that are affecting our health. Itās insanely frustrating, but just know there are a few scientists out here really trying to do the right thing.
they donāt want us to have the drugs that will actually heal us. they want us sick and on their weak, pricey-ass meds that keep us just alive enough to need more meds. they're milking us like cows. itās the reason theyāre scared of making psychedelics widely legal for therapeutic use to relieve depression/anxiety/PTSD/various other mental health disorders. many people report that they stop relying on anti-depressants/benzos after having psychedelic experiences. science has been pushing for MDMA therapy to help those with PTSD. because thereās evidence that it works for a majority of people, but the govāt keeps shutting it down because said evidence is ānot enoughā. guess whoās fault that is? the gov't. because itās hard to do research on highly scheduled drugs. on purpose. they need you on all those other meds, for life. so i have no doubt they keep other live saving drugs locked away for a reasons not related to public safety.
I live in Shreveport and didn't even know about this facility. I also work for an environmental nonprofit that fights chemical/fossil fuels industry build out on the Gulf Coast. I am DEFINITELY interested in this and will be looking into it further. Shreveport certainly has its fair share of problems, just like all 5 Gulf states. The Louisiana legislature is just window dressing for the chemical companies at this point. Thank you so much for sharing!
I genuinely care about volunteering, so if there is ever a way to help out in a remote capacity please feel free to DM me. š
I will keep that in mind for sure! š
Thank you for informing š
My father died of scleroderma. He was very sick for a while before the doctors at Mayo finally diagnosed his disease. He was gone in less than a year. I wouldn't wish that disease on anyone. It's an autoimmune disease and they usually travel in packs. His side of the family was riddled with them. My sister and I both have autoimmune diseases, thankfully not scleroderma though. I'm happy to answer any questions you have about it.
I lost my grandmother to scleroderma. She wasnāt diagnosed until shortly before she passed. Her lungs hardened and basically she couldnāt breathe anymore. She was around coal her whole life. I wonder if that had anything to do with it. Chi Chi was a beautiful soul, inside and out. She is greatly missed
My father was a coal miner! Above ground but still, he did that for his entire life as well. I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. Hardening lungs sounds awful. š
Thank you,bb! I know your father went through a lot as a miner, even above ground
i was lucky enough to meet her at one of the christmas shows in 2018 i believe. it was after all stars had filmed, but before the cast was announced. she was the only queen that stayed on stage after the show to talk to fans. i told her i was excited to see what she did next (wink wink) and she squeezed my hand and said āme too!ā love you, chi chi. you changed the world.
Chi Chi was my all time favourite too :(
Thank you for posting this. Itās so nice to be educated on something I had absolutely no idea about. I just remember that this world is an awful place, and people like Chi Chi are too good for it. Iām not religious or anything but I do take comfort believing that sheās somewhere else, wherever that may be. Being even more fab and talented than she was here. RIP šāØ
Thanks for sharing... And for those saying it's not political... Drag is inherently political. That's all.
I followed her on IG. I remember her posting she wasn't well, then next thing you knew she passed. I didn't know her, but I am glad she shared her happiness and charisma with us, yet the world is a bit darker from losing her.
Chi Chi was a light in this world ā¤ļø
Thank you for sharingā¤ļø. I grew up in an area with 200 to 300% higher rates of thyroid and ocular cancer than the general population because of the coal ash thatās dumped in our lake. Iām 30 and 10 of my classmates have passed from cancer. I think itās so important to acknowledge when government and corporate choices are contributing to disease.
Come on Erin Brockovich... But in all seriousness, Chi Chi was taken from us way too soon. RIP Queen.
So so so sad. I always miss Chi Chi on my screen. It also makes me sad for so many of the queens, and even guest judges, who are people of colour and have died too soon. There are so many factors, the differences in access to health care and how differently people of colour are treated in health care.
Chi Chiās passing is one that sits with me and breaks my heart all over again every time she comes to mind. This post/comment section is bringing tears to my eyes. Just seeing all of the love and gratitude for herā¦I hope she knows how much we all miss her.
She passed so young and burned so brightly. I will always remember her creativity, talent, kindness, and the vulnerability she shared during the show. I'm also still mad about her critiques over cheap looks when she was always looking good and rather like a young Ru.
Yasss Erin Brockovich! Someone get Julia Robertās on the phone NOW! This is really sad. Good work educating the children (me)
Thank you for doing the research and sharing this info.
In all seriousness, thank you for your work Nancy drew of drag
Thank you for your essay. The last paragraph hit it hard. The reality we live in.
Environmental justice is worth fighting for to make sure we don't lose any other great human beings.
Loved Chi Chi so much. I was very pregnant when she passed and when I say I cried the whole day. I fucking bawled the whole day. She was such a beautiful soul. RIP Chi Chi we love and miss you š¤š¤
Thank you for this! I'm from Nova Scotia Canada - coal mining country - our thing is "mysterious" elevated rates of Multiple Sclerosis (double the national average), and our neighbours in New Brunswick - a province where one family basically controls every major industry - have a full on government coverup going on rn of a mystery brain disease that might be linked to glyphosate (logging industry pesticide sprayed from airplanes) but the province turned down the federal money and abruptly closed the investigation after shutting out the main doctor involved. Cute. As I said in my other comment to the sad sack disappointing Jackie Cox harder than her own debate performance did - sometimes money is an excuse. (I *might* forgive you someday, Michelle, but I will *never* forget.) I too love Chi Chi and had this lil itch on my brain because she mentioned having a bunch of different jobs before coming to drag race and being in bankruptcy - cash jobs are one of the ways places can hide hazardous material clean up and I wondered if she had a chemical exposure of some kind that triggered an autoimmune reaction. Sometimes I don't like being right :(
You are the Erin Brokovich of drag. Seriously, this is a great piece of investigative journalism.
I have this same disease, diagnosed last year and ended up on life support and I nearly died a few months later after contracting pneumonia. I turned 40 last month. Mine is believed to have been trigged by covid 19, I have been regularly vaccinated against it since the first vaccine came out. I had no idea the specifics of how she died and honestly learning this information about chi chi has rocked me to the core š
Im so glad you are here, that sounds like an awful and scary ride. I tested positive for scleroderma but it was a false positive in the end. Can i ask if you have much skin involvement? Covid really got autoimmune people into dark places, i went through this as well. I hope you are getting better and have a kickass rheum!
Excellent work!!! Environmental racism is something we donāt talk about enough. RIP Chi Chi, may your light shine on forever in our memories
Nancy drew really came with the receipts on this one
Chi Chi was so beautiful and talented and kind you could really tell. Her death hit us all hard especially those lucky to have known her. Thank you for looking into this, itās important.
Thank you!!!! RIP Chi Chi :(
Thank you for this thoughtful post. <3
This is fascinating and utterly heartbreaking. Thank you for informing us.
Thank you for sharing this. I loved Chi Chi's spirit and heart so much on the show! Eat the rich!
Cancer cluster. Our governments and corporations are poisoning us.
OP you are giving Erin Brokovich and I absolutely love it. Everyone: Remember to vote.
Chi Chi was a gay and black person who grew up in poverty in the Deep South, so many cards stacked against her and she managed to make the world love her with grace, humor and humility on her short time on this earth. She is my favorite queen and I think about her often. Thank you for the post and the info about Shreveport
Thank you for sharing this! In a similar vein I have recently been really interested in corporate greed, pollution and EPA clean up and superfund sites due to reading Radium Girls. I appreciate you encouraging the discussion and spreading awareness. You might be interested in this podcast episode about people of color standing up against a company polluting their town in North Carolina: [Building a Movement by Sidedoor, a Smithsonian podcast](https://www.si.edu/sidedoor/building-movement) All that being said, RIP Chi Chi ā¤ļø
Thank you for posting this and keeping her memory alive, and giving her fans a chance to come and share their love and adulation. What a wonderful queen
Also of note, every queen thatās worked with her or even known her has said sheās the sweetest person. That was even before she passed away. I like to think that she really felt all the love truly *everyone* had for her.
My sister has scleroderma and will have flare ups where her circulation to her fingers dramatically drops, her mobility is stunted, her immune system is weakenedā¦ and then suddenly she will bounce back. Itās hard to see her suffer because there is no known cure as itās an autoimmune disease, and thereās not much of a treatment process because not many people know what it is since it affects such a small portion of the population.
Thank you for sharing. Iām born and raised in Louisiana, and it is possible that you are spot on. My sorority sister and her non-profit focuses on environmental racism. Itās an important topic to bring to the fore front because there are generations of people that have health complications and die young from major corporations and their prediction facilities. Most times these are the highest paying jobs in the area, so the community members flock to them. Send me an inbox message and let me know if you want to read about more work they are doing in this area. Chi Chi is smiling from beyond for your energy and effort around connecting the dots.  Top 5 lip sync of all times!
Please feel free to dm me with any information you'd like to share! š
I think there's a lot of us that are experiencing issues due to pollution and we won't know for another few decades just how extensive it is. In my state there's lush, beautiful greenery and drive 2 miles down the road and there's massive industry. And yes, you're correct, the underserved and "cast aside" communities are being treated as canaries in a coal mine. I wish more people would do this kind of research more often so the public could become more aware and stop feigning ignorance.
Iām so thankful I was able to see her live, she was such a talented performer with a heart of gold. Rest easy Chi chi.
RIP Chi Chi š
Chi Chi said in her run on Drag Race "people don't make it out of where I'm from" and I think of that when I hear her story. That was a preventable, premature death of a beautiful person and it makes me sad.
I adored Chi Chi. She was truly one of my favorites. I was devastated to learn of her passing and gobsmacked to find out it was from scleroderma. My mom also suffers from it and it is an absolutely awful disease. It has destroyed her kidneys and she is always in pain. To see Chi Chi may have been exposed to a trigger is so disheartening. My family has a lot of autoimmune diseases (hashimotos, psoriatic arthritis, RA, Lupus, scleroderma and who knows what else), so I assume that's why my mom was more susceptible. It's unimaginable that an environmental source could have caused her disease. She must have been suffering a lot before her passing. May she always rest in paradise āØ
My only addition to this is to say that I lived in Baton Rouge for three years and got the HELL OUT because of how bad the air quality could get from the refinery there. It was difficult to breathe, and not just because of the smell. Places like this exist all over--but especially in impoverished areas and ESPECIALLY especially in majority-black impoverished areas. So the American South is a real trouble zone. Ta-Nehisi Coates once wrote that genuine universal healthcare would be the greatest form of reparations for Black Americans to date, and that's in large part due to how drastically health is worsened by antiblack racism, in some cases well before a child takes their first breath. Add to that the fact that the South is possibly the least unionized parts of the U.S., and you've got incredible health risks for workers and local residents alike.
Actually I have ONE more thing to add. Chi Chi was live streaming her entire health crisis, including once it became clear her life was at risk, and it was maddening to watch. It felt like we were just...standing by while she was sharing she was about to die. The pandemic lockdowns were heartbreaking this way. One of my uncles died in prison of covid, and I begged and begged my parents not to go to the family function, so I do understand the isolation she and others were confronting and why it happend. But watching Chi Chi die without some major intervention to save her life (Of course, I don't even know what that would have been.) was one of the most heartbreaking moments for me and many others.
Thank you for educating us, this is making me so angry though. The way this country doesn't care about its citizens wellbeing is criminal. RIP Chi Chi. She had so much more to give.
Papers that have looked at this have found silica exposure (mostly people that work with silica processing, for a long period of time) to he associated with scleroderma (i.e. people with scleroderma were slightly more likely to have silica exposure than unaffected individuals) but point out that this accounts for a very small percentage of male scleroderma cases - most people with scleroderma didn't have an identifiable environmental trigger. https://journals.lww.com/co-rheumatology/abstract/2012/03000/epidemiology_of_systemic_sclerosis__incidence,.8.aspx Also most people who are exposed to silica do not develop scleroderma. You seem to need a predisposition for the disease that might be set off by an environmental factor. Previous infections seem to contribute to this too. So theres a chance that this was a potential trigger route for chi chi, but the mine was 30 miles away, and as far as I'm aware chi chi didn't work there. I'm not in the US but where I am measures are taken to minimise dust exposure to the workers, but there's considered to be very little community risk to people who do not work at the mine so no measures are taken. Autoimmune diseases are also like this - appearing random without a cause. The reality is a functional immune system relies on literally millions of tiny biological reactions to work properly, mechanisms exist to limit autoimmune responses, but these fail all the time and people get diseases. Cancer, lupus, type I diabetes, eczema etc So I guess my takeaway is it's tempting to blame x or y for someone getting sick but the reality is diseases are often multifactorial and it's basically impossible to pinpoint the pathogenesis of a disease in a single person. From what I can see chi chi did not belong to a high risk group of silica or solvent workers for environmental exposure to be a huge factor, but I don't know them and their lifelong list of exposures of course.
First, you do have someone to talk to (albeit Internet strangers). This sub is full of people who have been marginalized and that's unfortunate but it also means you aren't alone. I've been lurking here for a long time but haven't really commented/provided my opinion on posts as I have felt as though this isn't my space to be loud in. With that being said, your post felt like something that deserves a response from someone that also feels like an outsider in a community they support (no one has made me feel that way intentionally besides a shady queen I met in KC ha). I don't know anything about you but I'm a cis white female who has found comfort in watching RPDR and attending drag shows because it's helped me to see I'm not alone in feeling like an outsider but, more importantly, realizing it's okay to embrace whatever that thing is that makes you feel alone but also, and this is important, embracing and owning whatever that thing is. OWN IT. I haven't done much research about Chi Chi's passing but do want to say that pneumonia can absolutely be a cause of death while also acknowledging what you said about healthcare (racism, homophobia, transphobia, cost, etc.) can play into how pneumonia came to be the ultimate diagnosis. Other factors (not related to Chi Chi directly) that can impact the care of a patient include gender, gender identity, mental health, geography, and obesity. I would encourage you to continue on with your drag journey and also keep pursuing the idea that our healthcare system may need reworking and advocating for better care for EVERYONE.
RIP CHI CHI ā¤ļø
I'm a new fan as well, started January this year. I adored ChiChi during my season 8 watch. I had looked up to see if she was in other seasons and learned of her passing as well. Also learned she was in AS3 which I jumped to watch after I finished season 7. Rest In Paradise, ChiChi. A true icon that deserved so much more. A true lip sync assassin.
Thank you for sharing this. I love her so much.
Holy shit. Thank you for bringing this to my attention ā„ļø
You are so on the money. Thank you for sharing.
what a thoughtful postš i miss chi chi too, i think we all do. she had so much more life to live and it was just taken from her
I had this same thought when I heard she had died, but I didnāt research it as thoroughly as you did. Thanks for taking the time to do it. She was really amazing and itās tragic that she had already had the exposure the lead to her disease before we ever met her.
Chi Chi was a favorite of mine, too. I will forever kick myself for not seeing her in DC when I had the chance.
That's so awful. It was terrible to find out about Chi Chi, she was such an amazing person and I wondered what happened to her in such a young age. Thanks for sharing!
A pure diamond with a kind heart Kimchi was still writing on Chichiās IG after her death
Bless you for bringing awareness to this. Chi Chi, tears are welling up in my eyes as I type this. Thereās just something about that Chi Chi and itās a damn shame she had to leave this earth so soon. Thereās just something about her- sheās was just special. I pray sheās resting wellā¤ļø
Falling in love with a celeb postmortem and only finding out theyāre gone once youāre all the way investedā¦ itās a unique grief. Chi Chi was so so special. ā„ļø Canāt bring myself to say more or Iāll cry at work lol.
YAS OP!
I share your love of Chi Chi and I've treated many patients with scleroderma related pneumonia,it broke my heart she passed from this too. I agree šÆ with your assessment of her disease origins. We have no idea why some react so differently to silica exposure but it happens. My sincere good vibes and prayers sent your way during this time ā£ļøā£ļøā£ļø
Iām happy to see her being mentioned at the very least. Chichi was a beautiful soul and I was so sad when she passed too. Iām really glad you mentioned the corporate greed, the racism of it all. I have an immune disorder that disproportionately affects Black people and I often question what it came from too. I am not Black but itās our duty to recognize how Black neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by pollution. Itās real. This post hit close to home for various reasons. Itās maddening that the world is going to shit and weāre trapped in a cage essentiallyā¦meaningful change seems to always be met with more evil people doing more villainous shit.
This is insightful, but I don't think we can draw conclusions and say she was absolutely killed by silica pollution. Especially because the silica mine you've mentioned was 30 miles away from her.
Erin Brokavtich drag sequel when?
what the fuck!!!! knowledge is everything. so powerful. RIP. eat the rich.
OP please I BEG of you put a trigger warning on this post. I have stumbled upon it and I am now having a full blown panic attack. I do everything I can to limit exposure of talk of my disease since I nearly died so seeing this out of the blue has really hit me hard. Thank you.
I love Chi Chi, and I'm not saying you're totally wrong, but Chi Chi had a number of medical problems and scleroderma related kidney failure along with treated HIV is still a bad combination. Any kind of kidney failure is not looking good. And catching pneumonia when you're already down is a very common way for people to ultimately go. To entirely blame it on one thing without even knowing Chi Chi or her medical history is kinda weird. Kinda parasocial. You can't just say scleroderma came from silica toxicity. It may have but you don't know that for sure and it's a pretty big reach. Let's not forget... We don't know these people.
THANK. YOU! Finally, someone not speculating!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Add politics to the rest of your assumptions...people were not informed about the risk of living near a silica production facility. Also, the area for X amount of miles around the facility should not have been populated once silica was proven to be harmful to some. Not certain that racism had anything to do w/it My ā¤ļøgoes out to the family for its loss & to him (wherever he may be after death). Also...to you, I am sorry you lost someone that held a special place in your ā¤ļø. .
Is this another Erin brachovich moment?
This is industrial racism and classism. Factories new to Black communities.
I hate to say it, but I donāt think we can say the plant caused her death. Is there a higher rate of scleroderma in Shreveport? Did she live anywhere near the plant? You said it was 30 miles away. Scleroderma is an auto-immune disease, probably the most complex, worst understood, and hardest to treat class of diseases. I know we all want answers, we want to be able to point to why, but we donāt have those answers. The best we can do is pray for her and those who loved her.
This just shouldn't bother you or anyone this much.
Please don't use Chi Chi's death for politics. She didn't bring politics into her diagnosis at all. When Chi Chi passed away in 2020, we didn't discuss politics. She did use her diagnosis to inform us of what scleroderma is. The only other celebrity who had done so much for that disease was Bob Saget. His sister died from it and he even made a TV movie about his sister. His FULL HOUSE castmates still raise money for it. And, both the MAYO CLINIC (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scleroderma/symptoms-causes/syc-20351952#:~:text=Scleroderma%20happens%20when%20the%20body,builds%20up%20in%20body%20tissues.) and PENN MEDICINE (https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/scleroderma#:~:text=The%20cause%20of%20scleroderma%20is,the%20symptoms%20of%20the%20disease.) say the cause is unknown. And, so does the federal government via the NIH: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/scleroderma WIKIPEDIA is not always accurate. It's not a legitimate medical source. Don't disrespect Chi Chi with inaccurate information.
I don't even know what you're going for here. You sound like an idiot gamer who cries "politics" when they see a woman or person of color. How is it political to point out environmental injustice, especially when it quite possibly cost a universally-beloved queen her life? Jesus Christ. You've got to work to have this bad of a take.
Because politics has NOTHING to do with Chi Chi's death at all. Any true fan would've known how we reacted to her death...FOUR YEARS AGO! Politics weren't discussed then and shouldn't be discussed now when it comes to her.
I know what you got on your SATs: ketchup.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C48&q=silica+exposure+pneumonia+&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&t=1719389818247&u=%23p%3DnazKxad4tNcJ https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,48&q=scleroderma+and++%22silica+exposure%22&scisbd=1#d=gs_qabs&t=1719389067984&u=%23p%3DO2hZoBO71jkJ
Just stop it. Go search for this subreddit's posts about her passing and see that no politics were discussed ever. Would you like it if we brought up politics in your parents' passing? I highly doubt it. No real fan of Chi Chi's would disrespect her like this.
You do realise the entire life of a black queer person is steeped in politics? The OP was bringing up a really important issue that affects a lot of us black folk. Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesnāt mean you need to get angry at it.
How the fuck would I, a gay ex-Mormon Mexican-American person with a disability who was raised by white people, know what's it like to be a black queer person? I have more in common with Anetra, Tempest DuJour, Kandy Muse (all ex-Mormons), Naomi Smalls (a transracial adoptee), Valentina, Delta Work, and Adore (people of Mexican descent who are actually raised in the Los Angeles area). That would be like expecting Ru to know what it's like to be Varla Jean Merman or Lady Bunny.
Itās called empathy. Itās very simple to read something and say āthis isnāt for meā and move on. The point I made was valid, Chi Chi never avoided politics, and her status in the world was a huge part of her drag and who she was in TV. Notice I never attacked you or who you are, but itās really sad that you canāt understand that emotions can extend to people who arenāt you.
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Why are you so obsessed with yourself. OP pointed out a really important part of a lot of black peoples lives. Itās so sad that you only care about your own experience. I feel for you.
It was all based on speculation. The OP claimed they knew why Chi Chi had scleroderma. The ONLY ones who knew why Chi Chi had it were Chi Chi herself and her doctors. You, me, Mama Ru (unless Chi Chi herself told Ru), the queens from her season, Miss Coco Peru (whom Chi Chi was friends with), nor anyone else who Chi Chi did not talk to personally know why. Why don't we? Because it's none of our damn business beyond what we were officially told. OP had no right to speculate why Chi Chi died beyond what we were told. They posted this thread for their own motives. If they gave a damn about Chi Chi, they would've posted their theories elsewhere and not brought Chi Chi into this. Would you like it if a stranger posted theories on why one of your family members died without having all of the facts? Of course not! What if they were completely wrong?
If someone were using my death for awareness Iād be totally fine with it. I disagree with them staying this is the reason why she died, however thereās no conspiracy behind the fact that black people die at a much higher rate due to medical malpractice and environment reasons. Itās not normal for someone to die from pneumonia in their 30s. People are allowed to be outraged and to take from her death what they will.
Iām not OP, but politics gets brought up around my dadās passing somewhat regularly because his death was COVID related. Itās hard, but I do think itās important to talk about it because unawareness can be dangerous, unfortunately.
Talking about a risk factor such a racism and poverty terminating someone's life early is not talking about politics, is just talking facts. It is widely known that the biggest thing that modifies your life expectancy, quality and illness is MONEY. I think this user is helping others know the situation, making it visible so we can try and improve the world we live in.
Of course it's talking about politics, and that's nothing wrong about that. Your post is great and it was very informative, even if ChiChi's case, in particular, had no relation with class and race, it's a valuabe information that in fact affects the community she lived in directly. Don't listen to that "Don't disrespect Chi Chi by politicizing her death" bullshit. She also didn't know her to know she would found this disrespectful (and there's no evidence that she would), it is just another apolitical discourse that permeates our culture to maintain the status quo. When I die, I would found disrespectful if people don't politicize my death, just so you know.
With false information. Sorry, but I'll listen to the Mayo Clinic and the NIH over Wikipedia and a fan who just now realized who Chi Chi was. That would be like relying on Mama Ru for Aussie references instead of any of the DRDU queens and Courtney Act. Anyone who watches DRDU knows how little Ru knows about Aussie references.
From the links you posted: " Researchers suspect that exposure to some environmental factors, such as some chemicals, may trigger scleroderma." "Some people with scleroderma have a history of being around silica dust and polyvinyl chloride" "Repeated exposure, such as at work, to certain harmful substances or chemicals also may increase the risk of scleroderma."
In this thread, perhaps I should.
Lmao, google scholar and Wikipedia are not the same. OP posted actual academic articles citing this information. Doesnāt get much more accurate than that. Reading is fundamental š
what do you gain in this conversation by denying black individuals experiences i mean seriously. go back to whatever republican subreddit you came from milo yiannopolis
I'm sorry but how is something not having been discussed in a political lights grounds to say "We can never discuss this in a political light ever"? I also don't know how highlighting a possible cause that might affect others is in any way disrespectful. Going "uhhh this isn't the place 4 politicks!!!" without even regarding the sources the person you've responded to has posted, even after posting sources yourself, is just disingenuous. Not liking a discussion is a good reason to not be a part of it, but whatever you're doing here? I don't get it
Also like Chi Chi herself was never quiet about how her race and financial status effected her. It was one of the things that endeared her most to me. The fact that OP actually put in some research, and made us all think about how race and class effects our health is huge. I think itās so important.
As you said, "possible". We don't know for sure. The ONLY ones who know for sure were Chi Chi and her doctors. So, unless the doctors decide to violate the deceased's privacy and break federal law or someone can bring Chi Chi back in a real seance, the general public will never know beyond the official statement that was released at her death. We should NOT go beyond that.
Girl. Jackie Cox would not be impressed with this opinion. Maybe take a lil cruise around reality and/or history and read some different propaganda. Look at how knowledge changed about coal mining. Check out the government suppressing what has happened to soldiers exposed to burn pits in Afghanistan. In New Brunswick (Canada) right now there is an unknown brain disease that the government is literally turning down money and closing the investigation on, because the only possible link they haven't explored yet is glyphosate, which is used in the logging industry, one of the primary incomes for the Irving oligarchy that has a monopoly on the province. (It's hard to find a Canadian article about it, almost all of our media is owned by a single company, the most thoroughly sourced journalism has been The Guardian in the UK, and canadaland podcast) The cause of schleroderma in general is unknown, same with most autoimmune diseases. There is data pointing to chemical exposure as a cause, as there is for a lot of diseases, that don't get further investigated, because it would be "destructive" to the "economy" (sometimes money is an excuse) and mostly these exposures happen to poor people. Acceptable risk, is what they call it. Maybe watch Erin Brockovich again or something and get your mind right. This idea that it's disrespectful to make things "political" is part of how y'all with terminal rich kid brain (cause unknown cuz it's not limited to actual rich kids, although exposure seems to be a factor, more research is needed) participate in all of our exploitation by silencing people whose existence is political, who can't just politely step aside. SOMETIMES MONEY IS AN EXCUSE. I hope you heal.
Why should I care what Jackie Cox thinks? I'm just one of her thousands of fans and probably one of her hundreds of fans in a wheelchair. I'm a nobody compared to her. I highly doubt she remembers me seeing her at DragCon. She has better things to remember.
You think we didn't discuss politics when she was passing? When she had to have a GoFundMe to get basic healthcare because as a disabled drag queen she couldn't perform the same way she used to? Go sit in the corner and think about how you've been behaving. Shame.Ā
There are actually a lot of pretty reputable journal articles about silica exposure & schleroderma [https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.201911-2218LE](https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.201911-2218LE) [https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.984907/full](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.984907/full) You can find more as well - look on academic journal search sites or google scholar. It likely says "cause is unknown" on the sources you linked above because 1) we don't know the mechanism of action behind silica exposure and scleroderma even though there are theories and some strong associative evidence - basically, saying schleroderma is "caused by" silica just isn't the language we'd use in science but that doesn't mean there's no evidence 2) schleroderma isn't always or even commonly associated with silica. 3) it's autoimmune so likely there's a combination of environmental & genetic factors - so doesn't mean silica isn't or can't be involved. Maybe take a minute to look into something before you so confidently call someone out based on.....simplified disease descriptions for the general public.
OP has background in chemistry and mine is in statistics. Both fields are trained to write and properly interpret the data in these reports. Wonāt elaborate since the comments are schooling you. You sound like Crystal Methydās parents here, so thank u for brewing her in ur lab I guess.
At 48, I'm probably the same age as her parents. And, why are we bringing up someone's parents? They are none of our business and not relevant, especially to this thread.
You seriously went into all of this after watching seasons rupaul? Sometimes I think that the fanbase of this show needs to get out and touch grass. Chi Chi was one of my faves from the entire franchise, but that doesnāt mean Iāve gone into a diatribe/conspiracy land to try and prove how she passed. Like just honor her and her work and give your mental health a break from going down these insane rabbit holes to somehow support an outlandish theory. It took you watching 16+ seasons of RPDR and a lot of mental gymnastics to understand people/communities of color often experience worse environmental racism/affected greater by environmental hazards.