Latest news with #childhoodcancer
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Good News: 4-year-old honorary firefighter celebrates end of cancer treatments
Four-year-old Austin Herre, of Atlanta, celebrated with his family and care team after he rang the bell at the end of his cancer treatments. It comes after he was named an honorary firefighter with the nearby Cherokee County Fire Department in Georgia. NBC News' Jose Diaz-Balart has this inspiring story and more in this week's Good News Wrap-Up.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Heartbreaking health update for little boy who stole Trump's heart and won over America
A young boy battling brain cancer who stole the hearts of the nation when President Trump made him an honorary Secret Service member has developed more tumors, his family have said. Devarjaye 'DJ' Daniel, 13, was introduced to a global audience when Trump singled him out during his State of the Union address earlier this year and gave him the honor. The youngster has been battling cancer for six years after being diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of incurable brain and spine cancer. He was told at the time he only had five months to live. His father Theodis Daniel revealed the heartbreaking update to Fox7 earlier this month, saying: 'He does have three new tumors. '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. '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.' The youngster has been trying to get sworn in to as many law enforcement agencies as possible as he and his family try to raise awareness about his condition. His father spoke after Daniel became an honorary member of multiple law enforcement agencies in Williamson County, Texas. The sheriff's office in the county was his 1,351st swearing in, with his journey leading him to be sworn in across six other countries. Theodis added: 'Look at him, he's happy, vibrant. I never know what's going to come out of his mouth. It makes me nervous half the time, because he has jokes.' Introducing Daniel, Trump had said: 'Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. 'The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true.' Daniels was held up by his father for the touching moment as he received his badge from Director Sean Curran and Republicans in the House gallery chanted 'DJ'. The next day Daniel and his family joined Trump in the Oval Office, with the youngster sharing a hug with the president. 'That was a big evening last night,' Trump said to them as he shook Daniel's father's hand. Former DOGE chief Elon Musk had also promised the boy his own Cybertruck after he was honored. Speaking with CNN 's Kaitlan Collins outside of the White House after his appointment, Daniel revealed he had bumped into the Tesla CEO and X boss. He said: 'I said, "can you do me a big favor, when you get back to Houston can you send us a Cybertruck down there".' Collins then asks him: 'Did Elon Musk say he'd send you a Tesla Cybertruck?', to which the youngster responded: 'Mmmmhmm'. Sharing the short exchange to her X, Musk later responded to the clip with a love heart emoji, suggesting the boy's wish for the vehicle could well be granted. Earlier this month the youngster was also sworn in as a honorary ICE and Border Patrol Agent by Deputy Director Madison Sheahan.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Specialist paediatric palliative care service funded by charity soon to run out of money
Meila Davis, 13, was able to spend the last month of her life at home with her parents and three little brothers, with the support of paediatric palliative care service, Rei Kōtuku. Photo: RNZ / Supplied It is seven months since Queenstown girl Meila Davis died of an aggressive bone cancer. She was just 13. Her mother, Kristin Davis, said Meila wanted to die at home among the people she loved. "She hated being in hospital, so that was never going to be an option. She wanted to be at home. That was her happy place." However, she said the family, which had relocated to Christchurch for Meila's treatment, did struggle initially after moving back to Queenstown with the lack of palliative care support. "The hospital team, they were nice, they were sympathetic. But you could only call them nine to five. And children don't just die between nine and five." The family was blessed to have an "amazing" GP, but she was not a paediatric palliative care specialist, Davis said. Having Dr Amanda Evans from Rei Kōtuku come on board was the turning point for them. "I would call Amanda at two in the morning and say 'This is happening, what do I do?' because the pain relief wasn't working and she's in agony pacing the floor crying, and she would guide me as to what I could give her safely." Meila was adamant that she wanted to be "present" for her final days, as well as pain-free. Evans worked with the local nursing team and her GP to manage Meila's pain. "You don't want to rob them of time by taking them to the point where they can't even communicate because of the pain relief. "You want them to be able to live every moment until their last." During the past 2 1/2 years, the privately funded-charity has looked after 90 children at the end of their lives, and supported 40 bereaved siblings and their families. However, the funding - from a private philanthropist - is due to run out at the end of the year. Davis said she was gutted over the lack of funding in the Budget. "To think other children wouldn't have that just breaks my heart. It infuriates me actually, because they're not even asking for a huge amount of money. Rei Kōtuku estimates $8 million would be enough to establish a four-hub nation-wide 24/7 specialist service. Evans said a functioning service would save the health system money in terms of reducing hospital admissions, but more importantly, it would let children live their best lives until the end. "This could have been addressed now because we know there are children dying now in pain and distress because they're not getting the specialist resource they require." The Budget was a missed opportunity, she said. "No specialist paediatric palliative care service should be reliant on charitable donations. "This is a service that around the world is provided in hospitals and paid for by the government and that's what has to happen in New Zealand." Families and providers were still waiting anxiously for Health NZ's response to community consultation in April, which involved more than 1700 submissions from clinicians, whānau, and even children. They had not been given any timeline for next steps, she said. Te Whatu Ora's acting national director for planning, funding and outcomes, Jason Power, said it was now reviewing all submissions "carefully". "This feedback will help shape final recommendations and advice on how we can strengthen and better support paediatric palliative care services across the motu." Dedicated paediatric health professionals were providing exceptional care every day to children with life-limiting conditions, he said. "While we acknowledge much great work is happening, we know there are areas where the system can do better. "We are committed to improving access to paediatric palliative care so that every child, regardless of where they live, can receive the care they need." Meanwhile, families could be reassured that support was available, he said. "Children with palliative care needs are being cared for by local clinical teams, including paediatricians, hospital services, and GPs. In some cases, this includes support from local hospices." The National Palliative Care Work Programme would shortly be asking for public and sector feedback on the adult model of care, before establishing working groups. It planned to finalise both the paediatric and adult models of care by the end of the year. Health Minister Simeon Brown said he was waiting for Health NZ's report, "with a view to Budget 2026". "As a father of three young children, I hear what they're saying and look forward to continuing to work with them." However, Davis said next year would be too late for some children. "Why is it okay for these children to suffer? That's how I feel about this recent Budget. We have to do better, better for these kids." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Toy designed by North Yorkshire boy with cancer to be manufactured
A boy who has designed his dream toy while undergoing treatment for a rare form of cancer will see his teddy bear - named the Bat Cat - manufactured and sold to raise money for from Skelton in North Yorkshire, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia when he was six and has undergone chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a bone marrow is now 11 years old and has recently been discharged from Great Ormond Street Hospital after relapsing for a third is a keen artist and after his toy design won a public vote to be made he said: "I wanted to create a superhero teddy, which children could cuddle when having treatment to make them feel better." Before his diagnosis, Spencer had been experiencing cold-like symptoms for about two weeks, his mum Karen felt lethargic, had a few bruises on his legs and was pale."But it was his rapid heart rate, which concerned us most," she was quickly diagnosed and began chemotherapy treatment. 'Incredibly proud' Spencer has undergone four-and-a-half years of treatment for his condition, which has left him with pain in his legs and in need of a has also experienced long periods of isolation - missing out on schooling and educational trips - which has affected his mood."Having a child go through cancer treatment is absolutely heart-breaking," Karen said. "We would do absolutely anything to swap places with him if we could. "Knowing he has relapsed three times is absolutely crushing."We feel physically and emotionally drained."Due to his weakened immune system, Spencer is at higher risk of infections and will need to spend time isolating while he recovers for the next three months."We are incredibly proud of Spencer," Karen said his treatment had been tough and charity Cancer Support UK's competition to design a toy had had a "positive impact" on him."For him, just knowing his design was receiving votes made him happy, but then to find out he won, it just blew him away," she said. Company Warmies will manufacture 1,200 of the Bat Cats designed by Spencer and all profits will be donated to Tweedale from the firm said seeing Spencer's reaction when he recieved the first teddy was "something I won't ever forget."Mark Guymer, CEO of Cancer Support UK, said the funds raised from the project would "enable us to provide vital practical and emotional support to people living with and beyond cancer". Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Independent
7 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Age group which waits the longest for cancer diagnosis revealed in new study
Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Teenagers in the UK with bone tumours are facing longer waits for cancer diagnosis, while infants and those with kidney cancer receive the quickest diagnoses, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Nottingham analysed data from 2,000 children diagnosed with cancer between September 2020 and March 2023 and found significant disparities in diagnosis times depending on the type of cancer. Delays in diagnosis can have severe consequences, as untreated tumours can grow bigger and spread around the body, requiring more aggressive treatments and reducing the chances of a successful recovery. While some children were diagnosed on the same day their symptoms began, others waited up to six years, experts found. On average, a diagnosis came within 4.6 weeks. The time to diagnosis was found to be longest among 15 to 18-year-olds, who waited for an average of 8.7 weeks before they were told they had cancer. And those with bone cancer were found to wait for more than three months on average, or 12.6 weeks. open image in gallery On average, children with cancer were diagnosed within 4.6 weeks ( Peter Byrne/PA ) Meanwhile, children under the age of one waited just 3.7 weeks before diagnosis and children with kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, waited for an average of 2.3 weeks before they were diagnosed. But they said that overall, half of the children and young people diagnosed with cancer in the UK are waiting for four weeks or more to be diagnosed. They also studied where children were diagnosed and found the majority (67 per cent) were diagnosed after a trip to A&E, after an emergency referral or emergency admission to hospital. Some cancer types, including bone tumours, soft tissue tumours Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and brain tumours, were associated with a higher number of medical visits before diagnosis. Writing in the Lancet Regional Health – Europe, researchers said their work highlights 'disparities for age and diagnostics groups' when it comes to cancer diagnoses as they called for more efforts to 'accelerating diagnosis' for those facing 'lengthy' waits. They said the findings could help inform health officials as they draw up a national cancer plan for England. Signs and symptoms of bone cancer NHS The main symptoms include: persistent bone pain that gets worse over time and continues into the night swelling and redness (inflammation) over a bone, which can make movement difficult if the affected bone is near a joint a noticeable lump over a bone a weak bone that breaks (fractures) more easily than normal problems moving around – for example, walking with a limp If you or your child is experiencing persistent, severe or worsening bone pain, visit your GP. Dr Shaarna Shanmugavadivel, from the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham, said: 'For the first time, we understand the current landscape of childhood cancer diagnosis in the UK. 'There is an urgent need to focus efforts on young people and tumour types such as bone tumours that are still experiencing lengthy intervals. The earliest possible diagnosis is key as time is crucial. 'Untreated, tumours grow bigger and can spread around the body, requiring more extensive surgery and more intensive therapies to offer cure. 'The findings will help focus efforts towards closing the gap for these groups, ensuring more children and young people receive a diagnosis sooner.' Ashley Ball-Gamble, chief executive of CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association, and co-author of the study, added: 'It's crucial that we understand why certain groups, such as older teenagers, or those with certain cancers, such as bone and brain tumours, are likely to face a lengthier diagnosis. 'By recognising these differences, we hope to work towards faster diagnoses and improved survival rates.'
