Chichester City forward Billy Vigar has died at the age of 21 following a severe head injury sustained during a match last Saturday. The former Arsenal youth player collapsed during an Isthmian League fixture against Wingate & Finchley, which was abandoned after just 13 minutes.

In a statement, Chichester City confirmed that Vigar had been placed in an induced coma and later underwent surgery in an attempt to aid his recovery. Despite the procedure, his injuries proved fatal, and he passed away on Thursday morning.

The seventh-tier club added that the outpouring of support after the initial update highlighted the deep affection and respect Vigar commanded within the football community. “His family are devastated that this has happened while he was playing the sport he loved,” the club said.

While the kind of head injuries Vigar had suffered is not revealed, as per the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, there are an estimated 1.7 to 3.8 million traumatic brain injuries in the US alone, with 21% from sports-related head injuries.

Head Injuries In Soccer

As per a 2022 study published in the journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 22% of all the injuries in sports are head injuries, especially in football (soccer). The study notes that on an average, a football player performers 800 headers across a single season, this could also be the reason that could cause a head injuries.

A 2020 study by Auer et al. found that 22% of all football injuries are concussions. Another study by the researchers at the University of North Carolina and Emerson Hospital in Concord, MA, found that young football players are suffering serious head injuries more than before. Neurological injuries have resulted in past few decades. In fact, serious brain injuries rose in 2011, with other injuries as spinal cord injuries with incomplete recovery.

Another study by the University of Glasgow revealed that former footballers are three and half times more likely to suffer from dementia, have a fivefold increased chance of Alzheimer's, fourfold increase chance of neurone disease, and twofold increase in Parkinson's. In fact studies done by the Scotland University for Sporting Excellence and University of British Columbia also noted difference in the way brain works after heading a football.

Type Of Head Injuries Common In Football

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

A traumatic brain injury occurs when a blow, jolt, or penetrating wound disrupts normal brain function. Severity can range from mild, causing brief changes in consciousness, to severe, leading to coma or death. Symptoms may include persistent headaches, difficulty with balance, sensory changes, memory problems, confusion, and speech disturbances.

Concussions

A concussion is a subset of TBI often seen in sports. It results from sudden brain “shaking” due to direct or indirect impact. Concussions typically cause short-lived neurological symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, or loss of consciousness, though symptoms can also appear hours later. While most resolve spontaneously, repeated concussions increase the risk of long-term complications. Tools like the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) and computer-based testing (ImPACT) are sometimes used to guide return-to-play decisions, though they are not fully reliable.

Second Impact Syndrome (SIS)

SIS is a rare but often fatal condition that occurs when a second concussion strikes before full recovery from the first. The brain swells rapidly, leading to a dangerous rise in intracranial pressure. High-risk sports include boxing, football, hockey, soccer, and skiing.

Coma

A coma is a deep state of unconsciousness in which a person is alive but unresponsive. Recovery can vary widely, depending on the injury. The Glasgow Coma Scale is commonly used to measure severity, while CT or MRI scans help identify structural brain damage.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

CTE is a degenerative disease linked to repeated head injuries, often in athletes. Symptoms in developing years later include memory loss, depression, impaired judgment, and, in advanced stages, dementia and movement disorders. A 2017 study found CTE in 87% of examined former football players’ brains, highlighting the long-term risks of repeated trauma.

Cancer Postcode Lottery will soon be put to an end by the UK Government. Reports say that it will enable the rural population access to cancer specialists and treatments. Before getting into how it will help the rural population and people living in coastal areas to find it easier to see a cancer doctor, let us first understand what postcode lottery means.

What Is Cancer Postcode Lottery?

The term cancer postcode lottery refers to a situation where a cancer patient’s access to the latest and most effective treatments depends on where they live or which hospital they are treated at, rather than purely on medical need.

Based on the information you shared, senior cancer doctors in England are warning that this is happening because of bureaucratic hurdles within the NHS. Even though cancer care is supposed to be equitable across the country, in practice, not all hospitals can easily offer the same treatments.

How Does This Postcode Lotter Work?

Doctors say that some cutting-edge cancer treatments such as advanced radiotherapy techniques and newer immunotherapy drugs require separate funding approvals. Individual cancer centers often have to apply to NHS England for permission and money to use these treatments.

Larger, better-funded hospitals with more administrative resources are often able to navigate this complex system more easily. Smaller or less well-resourced units may struggle, meaning patients treated there may not get access to the same options.

For instance, Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR). SABR is a highly precise form of radiotherapy that delivers strong radiation doses directly to small tumors in areas such as the lungs, liver, brain and lymph nodes. Although SABR is a well-established treatment and can be life-saving for certain patients, the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) says some cancer units still have to apply for special funding to use it. This leads to situations where a patient in one area can receive SABR, while another patient with the same cancer elsewhere cannot.

What Is The Government Planning To Do With Postcode Lottery?

As per the official website of UK Government, this will allow people "living in rural and coastal communities will find it easier to see a cancer specialist as part of plans to tackle the current postcode lottery."

The website notes that most deprived parts of the country have fewer cancer consultants, which leaves patients waiting longer for essential care. These same areas also face highest economic inactivity, with long waits for diagnosis and treatment keeping people out of work and holding back local economies. This is why the government is now introducing "new training places targeted at trusts with biggest workforce gaps, prioritising rural and coastal areas".

Working with the Royal Colleges, the government will encourage more doctors to train in clinical and medical oncology to increase the number of cancer specialists in underserved areas.

These steps will be outlined in the upcoming National Cancer Plan, which aims to speed up diagnosis and treatment, reduce inequalities, and support the goal of making England a global leader in cancer survival, while building a future-ready NHS.

A treatment already popular in the US for skin care, pain relief, and faster healing may soon be known for something far more serious. A new study suggests red light therapy could help protect football players’ brains from chronic inflammation caused by repeated hits to the head.

Experts say the findings are early but promising, especially in the ongoing search for ways to reduce long term brain damage in contact sports.

What Is CTE?

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head injuries. It is commonly found in former football players, boxers, and military personnel exposed to blast injuries. Over time, the condition can cause memory loss, confusion, mood changes, aggression, and eventually problems with movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing. There is currently no cure, and doctors still do not know how to slow its progression.

Why inflammation matters in CTE

For now, the only proven way to lower CTE risk is to reduce repeated brain trauma through better helmets, rule changes, and fewer hits to the head. But with more than 100 former NFL players diagnosed with CTE after death and many more suspected cases, experts agree that prevention tools alone are not enough.

Researchers believe chronic inflammation in the brain plays a major role in how CTE develops and worsens over time. If that inflammation can be reduced early, it could potentially limit long term damage.

Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, has already been shown to reduce inflammation in other parts of the body. It works by stimulating energy production inside cells and improving blood flow, which helps tissues repair and recover.

Inside the football study

To see whether the therapy could help the brain, researchers at the University of Utah Health studied 26 collegiate football players during a full season. Half received active red light therapy using a light emitting headset and a small device placed inside the nose. The other half used an identical looking device that did not emit light.

Players completed three 20 minute sessions each week over 16 weeks. Brain scans were taken before and after the season.

Read: 21-year-old Billy Vigar Of Chichester City Dies Of Sustaining Brain Injury

The results were striking. MRI scans showed that players in the placebo group experienced a significant increase in brain inflammation by the end of the season. In contrast, those using red light therapy showed little to no increase, with protection seen across most brain regions.

Why experts are paying attention

Specialists who reviewed the findings say the results align with what scientists already understand about inflammation and brain injury. Reducing the inflammatory response after repeated impacts could help limit the damage that builds up over time.

Another advantage is that the therapy is non invasive and does not involve medication. Most users report no major side effects, which makes it especially appealing for athletes.

That said, experts caution against buying over the counter red light devices. The therapy requires very specific wavelengths that can penetrate skin and tissue effectively. Many consumer products do not meet those standards.

Researchers stress that more studies are needed to confirm long term safety and effectiveness. A large Department of Defense funded trial is already planned, involving 300 people with persistent concussion or traumatic brain injury symptoms, including veterans and first responders.

If future research continues to show benefits without harm, red light therapy could one day become part of how teams protect athletes’ brains, not just in football, but across many sports.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi opened up about a cancer scare. Now, 38, the Jersey Shore star, posted on her TikTok an emotional video, where she explained that she has been dealing with abnormal pap smear results. She said that it has been about four year since the precancerous cells were found. Because of that she had to undergo an "uncomfortable" colposcopy and biopsy.

She said that when the results came back, the doctor informed her that her cervix is "Not looking great". The doctor had found cancerous cells on the top of her cervix. She said that she would soon need a cone biopsy under anesthesia for further testing. "I am terrified. It is scary, but we have to get it done because cervical cancer is nothing to joke about."

She said, "But whatever to keep me healthy and safe to be here for my kids that I have now," referring to her three children with her husband Jionni LaValle.

In her TikTok video, she said that she is scared and freaking out. She also said that she hopes to find community on social media with other women who have been through the same.

She also agreed to delaying her routine examination because of fear. "I waited on my appointments because I knew I might not get great results but also because I didn't want to feel the pain. I didn't want to deal with the stress of having to deal with all of this," she said.

Talking about her TikTok video, she said, “Just making this video to spread awareness to make sure you get your pap smears. And if your doctor calls you to do it again, do it, Make sure you are fine and prevent all the bad things that could happen, like cervical cancer." She said she was nervous but also shared that she received a lot of support from her friends and family. "Being a woman is not easy and is definitely a scary thing. I know I am going to be fine. It is just scary."

Read: Oncologist Reveals 5 Subtle Cervical Cancer Signs That You May Miss

What Is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical cancer develops in a women's cervix (uterus opening) due to abnormal cell growth, primarily caused by persistent HPV infection, a common infection that's passed through sexual contact.

When exposed to HPV, the body's immune system typically prevents the virus from causing damage however, in a small percentage of people, the virus can survive for years and pave the way for some cervical cells to become cancerous.

Treatment involves surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, with early detection significantly improving outcomes, though it remains a major cancer in low-income countries. Cervical cancer can also be prevented through vaccination and regular screening (Pap/HPV tests).

Dr Ninad Katdare told News18: "In its early stages, it is often more of a whisper than a shout. As a cancer surgeon who has treated hundreds of women with gynaecological cancers, I can say with confidence that recognizing these subtle cues can lead to earlier diagnosis and significantly better outcomes."