Health
Boy honored by Trump says cancer won't slow him down until 'God calls' him home
Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, the 13-year-old with cancer who received an honorary Secret Service agent badge from President Donald Trump, is speaking out about his personal health journey.
During his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, Trump honored the boy, who is fighting brain cancer. The room erupted in applause and standing ovations.
“I am very thankful that Donald Trump invited us down here, and I was not expecting for a lot of people to be over there,” DJ Daniel told Fox News Digital.
PRESIDENT TRUMP APPOINTS BOY BATTLING CANCER AS HONORARY SECRET SERVICE AGENT: ‘BIGGEST HONOR OF THEM ALL’
On Wednesday, the day after Trump’s speech, DJ Daniel was invited to visit the president in the Oval Office, “where Special Agent Daniel gave the President a ‘big hug,’” the White House announced on Instagram.
President Donald Trump, during his joint address to Congress, appointed 13-year-old DJ Daniel, who’s battling cancer, as an honorary Secret Service agent. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
DJ Daniel was diagnosed in September 2018 with high-grade ependymoma and anaplastic, a thyroid tumor. He was also diagnosed with cataracts.
“The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago,” Trump said during his speech.
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Childhood ependymoma is a type of tumor that starts in the brain or spinal cord, impacting the central nervous system with all body functions such as breathing, heart rate, memory and learning, emotion and sense, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
About 200 to 250 children in the United States are diagnosed with ependymoma each year.
DJ Daniel, 13, a Texas resident, has undergone 13 brain surgeries that have changed his personality each time, his father told Fox News Digital. (Theodis Daniel)
Over time, DJ Daniel’s cancer metastasized, relapsed and returned. He has undergone 13 brain surgeries, changing his personality each time, said Theodis Daniel.
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“I have to [keep] learn[ing] his personality. So, what you see is what you get until we have another surgery,” he added.
DJ Daniel has been given honorary badges across the country, with 908 agencies recognizing him. He surpassed his original goal of 100 badges.
DJ Daniel of Texas was diagnosed in September 2018 with brain cancer. (Fox News Digital)
“Well, once I reach 1,000, I’m just going to keep on going until my gas tank runs out. That’s when God calls you home,” DJ Daniel said.
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Eric Woodhouse, a local radio host at WNBZ, first came across DJ Daniel’s story last August while working with a local New York police station near Saranac Lake, where the police chief swore him in.
“Devarjaye [DJ] is truly a remarkable young man who we all could learn a thing or two from. He’s looking at a less-than-ideal diagnosis in the face and not stopping,” Woodhouse told Fox News Digital.
Theodis Daniel said he taught his son that he was not put on Earth to be uncomfortable.
Theodis Daniel, left, is navigating son DJ Daniel’s cancer diagnosis alongside him. (Theodis Daniel)
“When you go through things and you overcome them, it builds integrity and it builds character. You become a better version of yourself. So, for me, a very nice job last night, very, very proud and just ecstatic,” Theodis Daniel said of Trump honoring his son.
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“He’s taken his little dream and ran with it,” the proud dad added.
“DJ’s doctors believe his cancer likely came from a chemical he was exposed to when he was younger,” Trump said during the address.
“Well, once I reach a thousand, I’m just going to keep on going until my gas tank runs out. That’s when God calls you home,” said DJ Daniel. (Fox News Digital)
Theodis said that he and his son have met a lot of other children battling cancer at the Texas Children’s Hospital.
Theodis Daniel said he is excited about the Make America Healthy Again movement.
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“It just breaks your heart to see [what] these kids go through. But, you know, this spirit of resilience and tenacity, it’s overwhelming,” he added.
“You got to stay supremely positive and stay prayed up and just do nice things for people and you’ll make it through, we promise you. Look at us,” Theodis Daniel said.
Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease after infancy among children in the U.S., according to NCI.
“DJ’s doctors believe his cancer likely came from a chemical he was exposed to when he was younger,” President Trump said. (Fox News)
During his fight, DJ Daniel talks about his dream of becoming a police officer and was inspired by the kindness of officers who he has met over the years.
“They helped us. So I became one. And I want to help other people,” he said.
DJ Daniel also wants to help the homeless.
“You [can] take them, get them clean and get them back to where they can work,” he said.
Health
Katie Couric couldn’t remember the year or the president during frightening brain episode
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Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
ONE WALKING HABIT COULD SIGNAL A HEALTHIER BRAIN AFTER 80, SCIENTISTS SAY
The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
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At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
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Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
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“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
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Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
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“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
Health
One walking habit could signal a healthier brain after 80, scientists say
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Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
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The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
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The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
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“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
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This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
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Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
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“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
Health
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