 by Jack Allaben, Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund Social Media Team and Pine Tree Player Meet Claudia! Claudia will soon become the newest member of the Pine Tree family as a volunteer when she and other members of the Brandon Valley High School Girls Tennis Team travel all the way from Brandon, S.D., located just outside of Sioux Falls, for the 2024 Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic. Why are they traveling all that way for this year's tournament? As Claudia's father, Kyle, explains, the Pine Tree’s mission holds deep significance to Claudia and their family. “In February 2021, our world was turned upside down," Kyle shared. "Claudia suffered a seizure at home while preparing for Super Bowl LV. This was the first and only seizure Claudia has had, and it really caught us off guard. In the following days, she underwent several tests in Sioux Falls including an MRI. The MRI revealed some brain abnormalities and a tumor in her left occipital lobe. After several appointments and consults, we asked our local oncologist for a referral and a second opinion. That referral led us to Children's Minnesota with Dr. Anne Bendel and Dr. Meysam Kebriaei spearheading the charge. After our first meeting with these two amazing doctors, we knew Children's Minnesota was where we needed to be to face this journey head-on." In the weeks following, Children’s Minnesota conducted its own MRI, and started developing a treatment plan. The biggest challenge was the tumor was pushing up against Claudia's vision center and vision impairment could be a strong possibility post-surgery. Potential vision impairment versus the long-term prognosis without surgery was contemplated and, in the end, it was decided that surgery to remove the tumor was the best course of action. Soon, Claudia underwent a more in-depth and detailed MRI to map the brain and chart a path to resect the tumor. In April 2021, Claudia underwent surgery at Children’s Minnesota in St. Paul. "We are extremely happy to report that the amazing doctors, with the technology that they had available, were able to fully resect her tumor," Kyle said. Three years later, there are no signs of regrowth, and the surgical site has fully healed. Claudia does have some minor vision impairment based on recent ophthalmology tests; however, it certainly doesn’t impact her day-to-day life or slow her down at all. Today Claudia participates in all the activities that she loves, including the sport of tennis. Claudia will be a junior at Brandon Valley and is preparing for her third season with the tennis program, which starts in a few weeks. She truly has a passion for the sport and puts in countless hours a week working on her game. "When learning about the Pine Tree Apple Classic late last year, we knew this was an opportunity to help give back to a wonderful organization that has impacted so many lives," Kyle said. "It is a great opportunity to honor Claudia and what she went through, as well as the perfect team-building and bonding opportunity for her and some of her teammates ahead of the upcoming tennis season. "It is also a tremendous opportunity to raise funds for our tennis program through Pine Tree's Volunteer Give Back Program and the generous partnership with its anonymous donor and USTA Northern, while at the same time volunteering at an event that historically raises significant dollars for Children’s Minnesota. We are forever indebted to Children’s Minnesota and the talented team that they have, and we felt that this is just a small way to give back. It is hard to put into words the impact that they have had on Claudia and our family, and we are eternally grateful that we were brought together.” 
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by Cheryl Yasis, Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund Board Director
When Dr. Lynn Tanner, one of the physical rehabilitation researchers that PTACF supports, peers into her clinic waiting room at Children’s Minnesota, she sees few children in wagons or wheelchairs. As the mother of a pediatric cancer survivor treated at Children’s, I’ve spent a good amount of time in that same waiting room with my son and can verify that I’ve rarely seen kids in wagons or wheelchairs at clinic. I didn’t realize how unique this is until I learned that pediatric cancer clinics across the nation frequently have waiting rooms filled with kids with both. Are the kids at our local pediatric hospital simply lucky or is there something different about the services kids receive at Children’s Minnesota? Over the years, PTACF has helped fund over 25 research papers and projects focused on understanding and improving physical movement in children undergoing treatment for cancer. As a result, Children’s Minnesota is well known for their physical rehabilitation research and programs nationally. While this knowledge is published and shared with the global medical community, simply publishing research findings does not typically result in dramatic change to clinical practice. Clinicians must also receive training and education on how to incorporate the knowledge into their everyday workflows. The CREATE™ Childhood Cancer Rehabilitation Program was born at Children’s Minnesota in 2021 out of the need to translate the evidence produced from the scientific research funded by PTACF and other organizations into practical training and tools that result in outcomes like the ability for kids with cancer to walk into a clinic, run with friends at recess, or play on the high school hockey team. This is no small feat. It requires special equipment designed for children and collaborative efforts among researchers, oncologists, physical therapists, scheduling, and patient families. In short, it requires an overall change in how hospitals approach patient care. With rehabilitation rates among children with cancer as low as 1-2%, CREATE provides clinicians with desperately needed skills required to “create” and sustain the change needed for a successful cancer rehabilitation program. Over 200 professionals from 30 states and seven countries have participated in CREATE since its inception, including clinicians from renown pediatric cancer hospitals in the United States. The result is a cadre of clinicians reimagining how they care for kids and recognition of the importance of physical therapy in the overall quality of life for our youngest patients. Dr. Tanner’s most recent PTACF-funded research study found that children receiving physical therapy during cancer treatment may reduce the severity of neuropathy, a condition causing pain and difficulty with coordination and balance–something essential for walking and a common cause of children requiring the use of a wheelchair. The study was small and requires additional research that Dr. Tanner is enthusiastic to take on. “We can do a better job addressing the challenges kids face during treatment and into survivorship if we have support for more research and how physical therapy improves the overall quality of life for young cancer patients over the long term.”, says Dr. Tanner. There is still a lot to understand but your donation can help support research and clinician training that fuels the transformative impact of care for pediatric cancer patients in Minnesota and around the world. Funding for these efforts comes from generous donors like you. You can make a one-time, monthly, quarterly, or annual donation. And, any amount helps. Let’s raise more in ’24! |
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Pine Tree Apple Classic Fund is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Our tax identification number is 82-4314989.
Our tax identification number is 82-4314989.
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