By The Defender Staff
In Southwest Va., Scott County Parents Search for Answers Amid Children’s Cancer Diagnoses
As 10-year-old Andryk Williams of Fort Blackmore, Virginia, prepares for his next round of cancer treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, he keeps in mind those who are part of what his mom calls his “army.” “He’s got an army behind him and he knows it,” Andryk’s mom, Kelsey Williams, 33, said during a phone interview from St. Jude in Memphis. “He’s going to win the battle for the army.”
Andryk was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer, in 2025. The diagnosis came after intense pain in his hip sent him to his doctor and nearby Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City, Tennessee, where his family was told he could have rhinovirus, or perhaps a pinched nerve, and he was sent home. After increased pain and a trip to the emergency room, his illness was finally revealed.
“He has a very high pain tolerance,” Kelsey Williams said. “He has bilateral club feet. He’s been through so much already. So for him to be in constant pain, there was something obviously wrong.” Andryk isn’t the only one. Parents and community members say childhood cancer diagnoses have become less rare in the county perched in the southwest corner of the state, just minutes from the Tennessee border.
What’s Driving the Spike in College Students With Disabilities
The number of college students reporting disabilities rose more than 50 percent over the last decade across a wide swath of schools, including at some of the most selective universities in the nation, according to a New York Times analysis of government data.
The rise, which has corresponded with an increase in A.D.H.D., autism and other diagnoses, has also meant an increase in the number of students requiring accommodations, such as more time to take tests.
While some colleges and students have embraced the trend, saying it shows schools are opening their doors to students who might previously have been shut out, it has raised worries that some could be gaming the system. The increases have occurred at all kinds of institutions, from small liberal arts colleges to large research universities commanding global reputations.
At some colleges, more than a third of students have registered physical or mental disabilities, signed off on by doctors. For those students, the schools generally provide the students legally required accommodations that others may not receive, such as special testing rooms and note-taking services. The proliferation in accommodation plans, known as 504 plans after a section of federal law that prohibits discrimination based on disability, has made even the most academically rigorous universities more welcoming to students with disabilities.
Among the top 100 schools that saw the biggest increases in students with disabilities are several in the group known as “Ivy Plus,” some of the most difficult schools in the nation for a student to get into, including Harvard, Cornell and the University of Chicago.
More Than 220 Million Children Will Be Obese by 2040 Without Drastic Action, Report Warns
Without drastic action more than 220 million children could have obesity by 2040, an international report has warned. Globally, in 2025 about 180 million children were obese. But new figures from the World Obesity Federation suggest that by 2040, about 227 million of all five- to 19-year-olds will have obesity and more than half a billion will be overweight.
According to the federation’s 2026 world obesity atlas, that would mean that at least 120 million school-age children would have early signs of chronic disease caused by their high body mass index (BMI). Someone is classed as obese if their BMI is 30 or above, and overweight if it is above 25.
Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods in Early Childhood Linked to Behavioral Challenges Later in Childhood
A groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at the University of Toronto has unveiled compelling evidence linking the consumption of ultra-processed foods during early childhood with adverse behavioral and emotional development. This research adds a critical layer of understanding to the growing body of literature regarding nutrition’s role in shaping mental health trajectories in young children.
Ultra-processed foods, characterized by industrial formulations comprising refined ingredients and numerous additives, dominate the dietary intake of many preschoolers in Canada, accounting for nearly half of their daily caloric consumption.
The study explored how these highly processed dietary components might influence behavioral outcomes, illuminating a connection that has critical implications for public health, pediatrics, and nutritional counseling.
Study: Football Associated With Nearly One in Five Brain Injuries in Youth Sports
Youth football accounts for the largest share of sports‑related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children and young adults, nearly one in every five TBIs, according to a preliminary study released March 4, 2026, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 78th Annual Meeting taking place April 18-22, 2026, in Chicago and online.
Youth sports and activities included in the study, in addition to football, were soccer, basketball, cycling, skiing, snowboarding, running, baseball, hiking, roller skating, skateboarding, wrestling, cheerleading, ice hockey, lacrosse, field hockey and volleyball.
“Traumatic brain injuries from sports are a common, yet preventable, source of long-term neurological and psychiatric issues in children and young adults,” said study author Steven Wolf, MD, of Boston Children’s Health Physicians in Hawthorne, New York, and member of the American Academy of Neurology. “Our study found that nearly one in five of these injuries occurred in youth football, with these athletes also experiencing more repeat brain injuries than youth in other sports.”
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IPAK-EDU is grateful to The Defender as this piece was originally published there and is included in this news feed with mutual agreement. Read More
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