A Story About the Blue People of Kentucky
Cussy Mary and her pa lived in a one room log house, which was located in the backwoods of Kentucky. They both had blue skin and blue eyes, an extremely rare gene trait called methemoglobinemia. The skin disorder is due to enzyme diminished oxygen in the blood. The blue people were called the Fugate Family.
People with this blood condition were likely to have chocolate brown blood instead of the usual bright red. Methemoglobinemia Is a recessive gene and by1990 there were no known blue people left. After each generation the likelihood this gene would emerge became less and less.
This story written by Kim Michele Richardson is set in the late 1930’s.
Troublesome Creek was a mining town. Both the men and women worked long hard days. There were few jobs available. Food was scarce and nutrition affected most of the folks. Starvation took many lives, especially the elderly and the babies. Cussy Mary understood hunger for food. But she also knew the people had a hunger for learning. She had an opportunity to help folks by providing them with reading material. On her route she would take the time to read to her patrons. It put a smile on Cussy’s face when the grown-ups and the children would holler, Book Woman is here!
