Latest news with #brainTumors
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
13-Year-Old with Brain and Spinal Cancer Faces New Health Struggle 2 Months After Becoming Honorary Secret Service Agent
DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old honorary U.S. Secret Service agent living with brain and spinal cancer, has three new tumors DJ's father Theodis Daniel shared the health update at a May 19 swearing-in ceremony, two months after President Donald Trump made DJ an honorary agent 'It's rough — there isn't a class that can teach you how to deal with it,' Theodis said about his son's latest diagnosisAs a small child, Devarjaye 'DJ' Daniel was given months to live. In 2018, the Texas native was diagnosed with brain and spinal cancer, with doctors giving him five months to live, according to the United States Secret Service. Five months turned into five years. Now, after seven years and more than 13 brain surgeries, DJ is still standing. But a new diagnosis has shaken his family and supporters. When the teen — who wants to be a police officer — was sworn in as an honorary agent of the U.S. Secret Service in March, his father Theodis Daniel said DJ's family is hopeful about his future, thanks in part to a research study he is participating in. 'He's beating the odds," Theodis said at the time. But two months later, the proud parent shared that the odds have changed. During a swearing-in ceremony at Williamson County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) in Texas, Theodis told FOX 7 Austin that the teen is 'just winging it day by day' in the face of new health hardships. 'He does have three new tumors,' the father told the Texas outlet at the May 19 ceremony. 'It's rough — there isn't a class that can teach you how to deal with it. You're hearing that your child has a nasty disease.' But DJ, whose desire to become a law enforcement officer stemmed from his family's experiences during Hurricane Harvey, has already achieved his goal, according to FOX 7. He has been sworn in by more than 1,300 agencies, including multiple on May 19. And his family remains hopeful. Amid DJ's health struggles, Theodis told FOX 7, 'We're just going around showing people, 'Hey, you do care for one another. Let's give compassion and let's try to join and help each other get through things.' ' Perhaps the crowning jewel of DJ's honorary law enforcement titles is U.S. Secret Service agent. President Donald Trump bestowed him with the honor on March 4 in a joint address to Congress. 'Tonight, DJ, we're going to do you the biggest honor of them all. I am asking our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service,' Trump, 78, told the teen, whose eyes widened upon hearing the news. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. The following day, DJ also visited the president in the Oval Office. And, after his father shared his latest health update in Texas, the White House released a statement of support for the teen. 'We're lifting up Agent DJ Daniel in prayer after his dad, Theodis, shared that DJ is now facing three new tumors,' an X post from the White House said. 'DJ is one of the strongest, bravest young men—and has now been sworn into 1,351 law enforcement agencies across the country," the post continued. "Agent Daniel, you're a true legend. 🇺🇸.' Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Popular medicine taken by millions of women every year has given them BRAIN TUMORS
Hundreds of women in the US are suing pharmaceutical giant Pfizer over claims its popular birth-control injection left them with 'life-altering' brain tumors. Each year, around 2 million women are prescribed the contraceptive shot, called Depo-Provera, which many are drawn to for its convenience. Your browser does not support iframes.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer after strange things happened to my skin... symptoms you can't ignore
Twenty-two-year-old Kaylee Engle crumbled to the floor of a hospital hallway when she got the news. She had just learned that her body was riddled with melanoma skin cancer that had spread to other parts of her body. The Canadian had seven brain tumors, at least 18 in her liver, and at least 20 in each lung, plus two beside her heart, and tumors in her spine, lymph nodes and adrenal glands. 'It's so widespread – it's everywhere,' the Toronto-based nanny said. In July 2023, she detected a single lump adjacent to her right breast, which she brushed off as 'just a cyst.' It looked more like an ingrown hair or an under-the-skin pimple. But when Engle continued to find new lumps forming in different areas, she knew something was amiss. Doctors discovered after an X-ray that the lumps were miniature tumors all over her body after cancerous skin cells had spread through her bloodstream to other organs. Looking back, other symptoms she brushed off were clearly linked: unintentional weight gain, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. At first, doctors at the urgent care also believed the lumps were relatively benign cysts. But X-rays confirmed the worst: the melanoma had invaded her lungs, bones, and brain. The odds of dying from the cancer are exponentially higher once it has spread to other parts of the body. Just one in five patients with stage 4 melanoma are still alive five years after being diagnosed. But, not only is Engle still here two years later, her cancer has since stabilized and is no longer growing. Engle began chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments just a few days after her diagnosis in June 2023. 'Although my diagnosis is stage four and has spread almost everywhere, it still does not mean 'terminal,'' she said. 'Here I am in 2025, almost two years into my stage four diagnosis, with now so many options for treatment, and they have much more hope for prolonging my life.' As of May 2025, she has received 18 rounds of an immunotherapy drug called Nivolumab. Engle started dual immunotherapy but stopped after two doses due to autoimmune hepatitis—a condition where the immune system attacks the liver, causing inflammation and potential damage After getting over her hepatitis, in addition to radiation treatments for tumors in her brain and eyes, Engle continued a regimen of nivolumab alone. But it'll be a constant fight for rest of her life type thing 'Likely I could be in treatment for the rest of my life, but there are cases of people with NED (no evidence of disease),' she added. Until learning her devastating diagnosis, Engle was a healthy young woman. Doctors had, over the years, removed several benign moles out of an abundance of caution. Moles are groupings of normal melanin-forming cells. But damage to the DNA of those cells, often through heavy exposure to UV rays, can cause skin cancer. Cancer cells can then break away from the original tumor and enter the lymphatic system, a network of vessels throughout the body, and the bloodstream, where they can multiply and form more tumors, which were the lumps all over Engle's body. 'By the time I was diagnosed, I was [already] convinced I had cancer, but even so, finding out for sure was a shock,' she said. 'But it felt validating that I knew something was wrong with my body.' She faced a bumpy road in trying to find the cancer treatment that worked for her, including her bout of autoimmune hepatitis. 'My girlfriend and I were out shopping when I got a call from my oncologist who said my liver ALT numbers were very high – normally they should be under 50, and mine were up to 500.' 'They said I needed to go to the hospital immediately for IV steroids, which I got every day for a week or so to bring the numbers down and then could eventually start treatment again once they were.' She had to take a break from treatment again in October 2024 when she began suffering breathing trouble. Given the 20 tumors in each lung and the immunotherapy she was taking, doctors first feared it was a case of pneumonitis, or swelling of her lung tissues. Luckily, it was not, and doctors concluded that the life-sustaining drugs she was taking were not the cause. Rather, it was likely a result of the cancerous tumors in her lungs. But she was placed on the steroid prednisone for months, infamous for its side effects, including agitation, 'moon face', and swelling elsewhere in the body. Toronto is a hub for medical innovation, allowing Engle access to the most cutting-edge treatments. She will soon undergo a blood test that will screen for specific indications like tumor mutations or immune markers, which will determine whether she is suitable for Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte therapy (TIL). It uses her own immune cells found within her tumors, which are extracted and taken to a lab where scientists isolate a mix of immune cells – mostly T cells – that had infiltrated the tumors but were overtaken by the cancer. The scientists then multiply them exponentially and place them in bioreactors that infuse them with nutrients and growth factors, creating an army of immune cells that are reinfused into Engle's body. She said: '[It] isn't approved in Canada yet, but the US drug company has agreed for me to get compassionate treatment here before it's approved for trial in Canada, which will be done by my oncologist. Engle, shown entering the MRI machine, has received 18 rounds of an immunotherapy drug called Nivolumab. The results were mixed initially, with some tumors shrinking and some growing. But most lesions have stabilized 'My oncologist thinks it could be an amazing option and I could likely continue my immunotherapy afterwards if needed!' Her future remains uncertain. Advances in immunotherapy and highly targeted therapies have accelerated over the past decade, with promising evidence that they can shrink tumors, extend survival, and, in some cases, achieve long-term remission from advanced cancer. 'I will try anything to let me live a full life,' she said. 'But I'm just enjoying every day as much as I can and I have a lot of hope for the future, whether that be treatment ongoing, or becoming cancer free, which is the ideal goal for me – and which I know I can achieve eventually.' A mole that becomes itchy, painful or tender should not be ignored. Additionally, moles that 'bleed, become sore, or start to weep fluid' are alarming signs. Key warning signs of a potentially cancerous mole include rapid growth, color changes, and irregular shape. A mole that grows noticeably within weeks, develops multiple or uneven colors (such as brown, black, red, white, or blue), or becomes asymmetrical should be evaluated by a doctor, as these changes may indicate skin cancer. Thirty percent of melanoma cases starts in moles, but there are a small percentage of cases that can't be traced back to one site. The American Cancer Society estimates that nearly 105,000 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in 2024, and roughly four percent will be stage four. Melanoma kills more than 8,300 Americans each year, according to the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF), but about 90 percent of cases are considered to be preventable through vigilance about sun safety. The average age of diagnosis is 63 years old. However, melanoma is one of the most common cancers in people under 30, and has been increasing 'dramatically' over the past three decades, according to Cleveland Clinic.
