(InvestigateTV) — A 20-year-old Navy recruit’s dream of following her father and brother into military service ended tragically during a routine fitness test at boot camp near Chicago.
Kiara Evans collapsed during a 1.5-mile run and died within hours, becoming another casualty of a rare but potentially fatal condition called rhabdomyolysis.
In the episode of InvestigateTV+, we examine
Military health crisis: Rhabdomyolysis cases increase among recruits during intense physical training, with over 500 service members diagnosed in 2023
Eye health discoveries: Routine eye exams reveal serious conditions like multiple sclerosis, demonstrating how vision tests can detect over 200 diseases
Environmental concerns: Arizona’s push for nuclear energy raises questions about uranium mining near Phoenix’s water supply
Lasting love: Alabama couple celebrates 60 years of marriage with their original Scrabble game, playing four to five times weekly since 1965
Military recruits face deadly rhabdomyolysis risk as cases surge nationwide
Kiara Evans had dreamed of military service her entire life, following in the footsteps of her father and brother. At 20 years old, the Louisiana native enlisted in the Navy in 2019, eager to serve her country and make her family proud.
“I was very proud and I just supported her decision,” said her mother, Kenya Evans, recalling her daughter’s excitement about joining the armed forces.
But weeks into boot camp near Chicago, that dream turned into a family’s worst nightmare.
During a routine physical fitness assessment, Kiara collapsed during a 1.5-mile run. Within hours, she was gone — another casualty of a rare but potentially fatal condition called rhabdomyolysis.
“They said that she was in the hospital. She was in critical condition. And I’m asking them what happened. And they said that she fell during the 1.5 mile run,” Kenya Evans recalled of the devastating phone call.
Kiara’s death from exertional rhabdomyolysis has become part of a troubling trend affecting America’s military, where cases of the muscle breakdown condition are increasing among service members, particularly recruits undergoing intense physical training.
How rising nuclear power interest threatens Phoenix’s strained water supply
The mountains east of Roosevelt Lake, known as the Sierra Anchas, are home to more than one dozen uranium mines, which operated in the 1950s and 1960s.
Today, those mines are dormant. Some have entrances that are wide open. Others are boarded shut. But there are still remnants of their radioactive past. Forest Service signs warn visitors not to camp overnight because of low levels of radiation remaining in the rock, soil, and water.
At some point in the not-so-distant future, miners may return to some of those pits and caves or drill new ones, as nuclear energy experiences a revival in the United States.
“We think it’s really critical and exciting,” said Bobby Olsen, who is the associate general manager sustainability executive at SRP.
Olsen is referring to plans by state electric utility providers SRP, APS, and Tucson Electric Power to build Arizona’s second nuclear reactor. The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, located west of Buckeye, has been in operation for the past four decades.
However, the state’s increasing population and increasing appetite for electricity have led the three power companies to combine resources and look at the possibility of building a new nuclear plant.
At some point in the not-so-distant future, miners may return to some of those pits and caves or drill new ones as nuclear energy experiences a revival in the United States.
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Eye exam leads to multiple sclerosis diagnosis for metro Atlanta woman
has multiple sclerosis.
Andrea Medford knows the importance of getting a routine eye exam as well as anybody. And in June of 2024, it became even clearer.
“I was in shock,” Medford said.
She woke up with blurry vision in one eye and contacted Briggs Vision Group in Dunwoody to schedule a checkup. That decision may have saved her vision.
“She then came back in the room, handed me a piece of paper and said I need you to go to the emergency room,” Medford said.
Dr. Rebecca Briggs Garnier, a member of the Georgia Optometric Association, conducted a series of vision tests, including the red cap exam, before offering a diagnosis of Optic Neuritis, which occurs when swelling damages the optic nerve.
“Her good eye saw the red perfectly and the bad eye was very muted and looked more like a burgundy greyish color. So, we knew at that point it was optic neuritis,” Briggs Garnier said.
That’s when Medford was told to go to the emergency room, and what happened next, no one could have seen coming.
This couple’s passion for Scrabble spells 60 years of L-O-V-E
They met in high school and married at the age of 18. Sixty years later, Pine Apple residents Kitty and John Lamkin are still just as happy as ever and playing the same game they got the year they were married.
“It’s a lot of give and take,” said John Lamkin. “She does a lot of the giving, I do most of the taking,” he joked.
“It’s a lot of togetherness, a lot of fun, and a lot of hard work,” said Kitty Lamkin.
Just after they got married, Kitty and John got the game Scrabble. They still have the original game in the box. They’ve added several new Scrabble games over the years, but the game hasn’t changed a bit.
They usually play four or five times a week.
“We just enjoy the interaction,” said Kitty. “It’s just been a lot of fun, something we do together, and we’ve been doing all our lives, and here we are in old age and we’re still doing it.”
“It’s easy to set up. It’s easy to put up,” said John.
InvestigateTV+: Hidden health condition claims lives of military recruits in training
