Sixteen-year-old Quin Duncan is a varsity lacrosse player in Wilmington is relieved to be back on the field after a bout with arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

“When I first started bleeding, I had passed out and had to go to the hospital,” Quin Duncan said. “And it was terrifying because I mean no one knew what it was.”

His mom, Kristin Duncan, says there were several scary episodes of bleeding coming from an abscess in his mouth.

“You don’t know it’s there. And then all of a sudden it was just, I was catching Quin’s blood in a bucket,” Kristin Duncan said. “In the moment, honestly, we just didn’t understand the magnitude of what it was.”

He was finally diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, something that’s very rare and potentially fatal.

“An arteriovenous malformation is an abnormal connection between the arteries, which are vessels that pulsate, and the veins, which drain,” Dr. Anne Marie Cahill, an interventional radiologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said. “They can create a lot of local problems with the tissues and integrity of bones and teeth, et cetera, so it’s complex problem.”

Cahill says AVMs are often misdiagnosed as a dental problem. 

“When teeth are loose, it is really important to stop and figure out what lies beneath and then give us a chance,” Cahill said.

Quin Duncan underwent four surgeries over the past 8 months and takes daily chemotherapy to control the condition.

“It’s just completely flipped my world upside down,” he said.

Recovering now, he’s relieved to be back for the playoffs and able to practice with his dad in the backyard.

“From where I was, sitting in a hospital bed, not too long ago, never thought I’d be playing lacrosse again,” he said.

Quin Duncan and his family credit the team at CHOP for getting him back to playing, along with his friends who made sure he had plenty of support and milkshakes during his recovery.

For many people in Delaware, the UDairy Creamery is a favorite spot for a scoop of ice cream.

Whether customers are ordering guava sherbet, butter pecan or one of the creamery’s many other flavors, the University of Delaware shop has built a loyal following over the past 15 years.

But almost as soon as the creamery opened on the university’s South Campus, it outgrew its space.

“It was always a little too small and a little too tough to come in and leave at the same time,” said Jen Rodammer of the UDairy Creamery.

Connected to the University of Delaware’s College of Agriculture, the creamery offers products that go beyond ice cream. Everything starts with the university’s agricultural programs.

“We sell honey from our apiary, we sell wool blankets for our sheep, we have Angus beef cuts available too, so we are really the connector between the college and everything we do here,” Rodammer said.

For now, customers can visit a temporary pop-up version of the creamery inside the ice rink next door while construction continues on the main building.

The renovation project, which has closed the creamery’s longtime home and impacted traffic near Townsend Hall, is designed to create a larger and more accessible space. University officials say visitors can expect quicker service, additional seating and more room to enjoy their ice cream.

“So our patio is being completely redone. There’s gonna be benches, chairs, tables and just a lot more friendly and welcoming,” Rodammer said. “It’s not just gonna be the creamery. It’s botanical gardens also.”

By late August, one of the biggest changes will be a stronger connection between the creamery and the University of Delaware’s botanical garden trails, which are free and open to the public. Visitors will be able to walk the trails and see the cows that help produce the milk used in the creamery’s ice cream.

The expansion comes after years of growth for a business that Rodammer said was originally expected to be much smaller.

“I don’t think they thought it was gonna be more than a mom and pop shop. And it really changed quickly. We’ve become a community staple, which is really exciting for us,” she said.

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication.