Thank you for welcoming me to your blog to celebrate the 5 year anniversary of Luminous! I was inspired to write about Catherine Donohue after reading about her in Kate Moore’s book, The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women. I was astounded by the tragic history of the women who worked with radium, and I wanted to take a closer look at what it would have been like to live this history.

Catherine was nineteen when she started working as a dial painter using the radium infused paint at Radium Dial in Ottawa, Illinois. Women counted themselves lucky to obtain a job there for the high wages and relatively pleasant working conditions. They wouldn’t realize until years later that the material they were using every day was slowly poisoning them.

Once the women understood what was happening to them, they were faced with the fact that few were willing to help. The radium industry denied liability. Doctors were reluctant to label radium as a poison when they had been using it as a medicine. Legally, they had little or no protection or path of receiving compensation. Therefore, small-town girl Catherine Donohue decided to stand up for herself and her friends to make a change.

In this excerpt, Catherine’s friend, Peg, admits that she is secretly suffering and does not know the cause.

Excerpt from Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl by Samantha Wilcoxson

It was not until they broke for lunch that Catherine had the opportunity to tell Peg that she had brought enough to share.

“That’s too kind of you, Catherine, but I couldn’t take advantage.”

“You wouldn’t be,” Catherine insisted, thrusting the sandwich into Peg’s hands.

“You don’t understand.”

Peg’s voice was quiet, her words oddly slurred. Catherine realized that she hadn’t heard Peg speak much lately.

“Then help me understand.” Catherine placed her hands on Peg’s shoulders, gently but firmly. “Tell me what is wrong. Let me help you.”

Peg sighed and gave in, gesturing for Catherine to follow her into the tiny bathroom shared by all the dial painters. Once they were snugly closed inside, Catherine examined Peg’s face and saw her own concern mirrored there.

Peg surprised her by not speaking. Instead, she opened her mouth wide and pulled at the side of her mouth for Catherine to see inside.

“Oh, Peg! How in the world?”

“They just fell out,” Peg whispered.

Having seen the inside of Peg’s mouth, understanding flowed over Catherine. Her friend wasn’t avoiding food and conversation because of money problems. She must be in constant pain from the throbbing, angry abscesses that flared irritably where two of Peg’s teeth should have been.

“You poor thing!” Catherine wrapped her arms around Peg, which was easy to do in their close quarters. Peg’s shoulder blades and ribs felt sharp. “How long have you been suffering?”

Peg only shook her head as her tears began to fall.

“Oh, shush, love,” Catherine murmured, swaying slightly on her feet. “We will talk about it when you’re ready, and we will find you help.”

“That’s just it,” Peg suddenly cried out. “I’ve been to the dentist. He doesn’t know what could be wrong, and four more of my teeth are loose.”

“Four?” Catherine’s voice was scarcely more than a whisper, and she felt a sliver of fear pierce her heart. What could be wrong?