OOLTEWAH, Tenn. (WDEF)- The scene at Ooltewah Elementary School was blue on Friday morning.

But the mood of Grayson Ledbetter was anything but blue.

The ten year old Ooltewah Elementary student is fighting the battle of a lifetime. Grayson is only one of less than 100 people around the world with Alexander’s Disease, which is a regressive brain disease of white matter in the brain. It affects his ability to walk and talk, causing him to lose those abilities over time. For Grayson’s family, this diagnosis was daunting as there’s not many people who know about the disease.

“Just to find support from other families or even physicians that have ever taken care of patients with Alexander’s Disease is difficult.”, Laura Ledbetter, Grayson’s mother said. “We have to travel out of town, we actually travel to Philadelphia (for care).”

This is why raising awareness of Alexander’s Disease and other forms of Leukodystrophy is so important for her and her’s family’s organization, Grayson’s Ladder.

Fortunately for Grayson, he enjoys his time at Ooltewah Elementary and the connections that he makes with his friends and teachers.

Principal Bethany Reynolds emphasized that, “We have a fantastic staff here at Ooltewah Elementary School. Grayson has tremendous support around him. We make intentional plans. But ultimately, it’s about building a culture of care, and he brings so much to our school. And our students respond so well, and they’re so loving, and caring. We have such a great positive culture here.”

Most importantly for Laura Ledbetter, Grayson’s smile is what keeps a beacon of hope alive despite his diagnosis.

“What he’s battling is really, really big. It’s really tough on him. But despite that, that smile on his face is always there. I think that’s the thing other people see and feel from him. That’s he just full of love and joy. I think we can all probably learn from him. Even though we are having a rough time, we can keep that smile on our faces.”

To learn more about Grayson’s Ladder and to help out with finding a cure for Alexander’s Disease, visit their website at https://graysonsladder.org/

Earlier this month a Memphis woman, Eliza Fletcher,  was kidnapped and murdered on her morning jog. Cleotha Abston Henderson is the man accused of the brutal attack.

Police discovered Henderson was also linked to a rape case in 2021 by state forensic scientists.

This begs the question, just how many rape kits are left untested and how many predators are left on the streets because of it?

In response to nationwide criticism about Fletcher’s case, Governor Lee announced funding  for the TBI to add 25 new lab workers

State Representative Bo Watson is hopeful this funding will allow for faster prosecutions 

“The TBI lab to process their rape kits fast enough to allow for the appropriate rapid prosecution of criminals. There has been a backlog of rape kits for a number of years and while we’ve continued to invest, we just haven’t been able to make a big enough dent in that backlog,” said Watson

The Carmen Hutson with The Partnership for Families, Children, and Adults said there is a fairly recent system that allows survivors to track where their rape kits are in the system. 

“So basically it’s a system that survivors can track their exams. So what happens is once they come to the rape crisis center for the forensic medical exam, they are given a tracking number and that tracking number can be used to follow where the rape kid is in the system. So, for us, we notify law enforcement within 24 hours that a rape kit has been completed,” said Hutson.

The Partnership is available to talk 24/7. The organization will provide rape kits and arrange for them to be held until the survivor is ready to press charges. 

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — If you’re in the market for new business cards, there’s no reason not to make it just as high tech as your other devices.

If your business card needs an upgrade, why not get a digital one?

That’s what Christian Thomas did.

“Ever since TikTok has been adding ads, some things are too interesting, you can’t pass up,” Thomas said.

That TikTok ad was for the website dot.cards.

It only cost Thomas $20 for a digital business card.

“You can’t customize it physically, but you can change whatever, when somebody either scans the QR code, or someone uses the RFID chip that’s in it, it goes to the same website, but I can customize what that website is,” he said.

Once you set up an account, you have several options for your card – from your e-mail and LinkedIn profile information, to your phone number and other social media accounts.

“There’s multiple accounts that I don’t even take advantage of because I don’t have those accounts, like Spotify. I don’t have Spotify, but I can see where it can come in handy,” Thomas said.

The physical card you carry with you is plastic like a credit card.

There are several colors you can choose from, or you can customize it more by putting your company’s name or logo on it.

And you actually have more options than just a card to keep in your wallet if you want to share your contact information.

“They also have other multiple options, not just cards – little stickers you can put on the back of your cell phone, because everybody has their cell phone that you can scan on that.”

Digital business cards also save space. You don’t have to worry about losing them.

“You don’t have to keep buying more and more and more. It’s the same thing, and if something on that card, or there’s something on your account, you can go and change it real easily.”

Thomas says these digital business cards are the easiest way to make connections – both personally and professionally.

“Why would I hand out something that I don’t keep in my pocket? You know, where I could just say, ‘Here, you want my information?’ You scan it. Easily it goes straight to your phone. That person forcefully has to do something with that in front of you, so they’re gonna save it anyways,” Thomas said.

You can get a digital business card like Christian’s here.