Scott Co, VA: Officials investigating rise in childhood cancer in county
- The end of childhood
- May 2
- 2 min read
May 1, 2025, WCYB, Blountville , TN: Virginia health officials investigate rise in childhood cancer cases in Scott County
SCOTT COUNTY, Va.— The Virginia Department of Health’s LENOWISCO Health District is gathering information and collecting data to investigate childhood cancer cases in Scott County.
Parents in Scott County, Virginia are raising concerns about the number of children with cancer there.
So LENOWISCO Health District leaders created a survey for parents to fill out, which will allow health leaders to dig deeper on what may be going on in the area.
A few weeks ago, Scott County parents notified the Virginia Department of Health’s LENOWISCO Health District and the Virginia Cancer Registry about the increase they have seen in childhood cancer cases over the past year.
Cause there’s so many kids in this area that have been affected by this and it not only affects our children, it affects every every single body around us. Our community is suffering right now, said Hensley.
In March of 2023, Scott County resident, Kayla Hensley's 7-year-old son, Oliver was diagnosed with a primitive neuroectodermal tumor.
When he was 5, he woke up one morning and literally the right side was swollen like a baseball. They did an ultrasound on his cheek and found out it was a tumor, said Oliver's Mom, Kayla Hensley.
Now, Oliver is in remission after the tumor was removed in an 8 hour surgery in July of 2023.
As a parent, I never thought I should be scared that my child has cancer. I didn't know if he would live, said Hensley.
Hensley said she knows of 12 other families who have children currently facing cancer in Scott County.
Whose kid is it gonna take for it to change?, Hensley said.
And while parents want answers, some have their theories.
It's in the water. In my heart ever since Oliver got diagnosed it has just bam bam bam kid after kid, said Hensley.
I don't know if it maybe has something to do with companies that were around years ago and there's a mineral. I know there was a lithium company and they did a lot of dumping in the water system, said Scott County mom, Amanda Taylor.
LENOWISCO Health District posted a survey on their Facebook page so Scott County parents can share their children’s stories.
We’re asking parents and guardians with children diagnosed with cancer between 2015 and present to complete that survey, said LENOWISCO Health District Epidemiologist, Sydney Manis.
I feel like this survey will possibly come up with all the things the kids have had in common with their diagnosis, maybe we can pinpoint possibilities that may be causing it, said Scott County mom, Ashley Culbertson.
Sydney Manis with the LENOWISCO Health District told me the survey will be open until the end of July and from there, the Virginia Cancer Registry will take over and will begin investigating the data collected.
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