Every LifeScape family has a story; MallWalk touches them all

This piece is sponsored by LifeScape.

Imagine a morning filled with joy, community spirit and hearts united for a cause — that’s the LifeScape MallWalk, set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, at The Empire Mall.

This annual gathering, now in its 32nd year, brings together teams of families and friends to raise funds for LifeScape’s Wish List.

The Wish List provides for needs with no other funding source, including medical, educational and therapy expenses; special experiences; and even clothing, rent and food support for adults with limited incomes. Thanks to sponsorships, led by First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER Bankcard, every dollar donated goes directly to impact people supported by LifeScape. Last year, 47 teams raised $100,000!

For generations, LifeScape has been there for families needing help for a loved one with disabilities or special health needs. Last year, LifeScape served over 5,000 children and adults from eight states, most of whom benefited from MallWalk donations.

The Yanzicks are one of those families.

Even before Monica and Paul Yanzick knew that their second child would be a boy, they knew he had spina bifida. After the shock of the diagnosis at Monica’s first prenatal ultrasound, they educated themselves on the condition. Spina bifida occurs when a baby’s spinal cord doesn’t close completely during pregnancy. It can cause various health challenges, depending on the size and location of the spinal opening. Armed with good medical support and a lot of love, they welcomed Tanner into their world in March 2011.

His beginning was rough. In his first year alone, Tanner was hospitalized five times. It wasn’t until he was 18 months and still not sitting up that a second diagnosis revealed why. Genetic testing showed that Tanner also had a chromosome disorder called DiGeorge Syndrome, which affects multiple organs and body systems. It occurs in about one in 4,000 births.

Tanner’s medical needs have continued to be great as he has grown. He has seen many medical specialists and had more surgeries than his parents can count – somewhere between 10 and 15, sometimes with more than one procedure at a time.

One of his specialists is Dr. Julie Johnson, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at LifeScape Rehabilitation Center. There, Tanner was fitted for a gait trainer to help him learn to walk, a milestone he accomplished at age 4. Later, he was outfitted with a wheelchair and midcalf braces. In these treatments at LifeScape, equipment from MallWalk donations was used to help Tanner.

A major new challenge emerged when Tanner was 12 and both his kneecaps began dislocating. Leg braces were added to stabilize his kneecaps, but they still sometimes popped out of joint. His legs had become unreliable, and it looked like he would need to again use a wheelchair for mobility, possibly for the rest of his life.

There was a possible solution through surgery, and Paul and Monica decided to take the chance. In January 2025, two surgeons at Gillette Children’s in St. Paul spent nearly seven hours reconstructing Tanner’s legs, adding rods to his femurs and moving his kneecaps. He was sent home after just five days.

Tanner’s home care was tremendously challenging given his pain level, the rigid casts on both legs and the complex care he needed for other conditions. Plus, he came down with influenza A and infections of his urinary tract and colon. Caring for Tanner post-surgery was a two-person job and a very difficult one.

Help came when his leg casts were removed, and insurance authorized rehab care at the Inpatient Rehabilitation Program at LifeScape’s Children’s Specialty Hospital. It was a huge relief to have LifeScape’s 24-hour nursing care for Tanner. When staff asked Paul his goal for Tanner, he said he hoped Tanner would be able to stand. He was shocked that LifeScape had him not only standing but also walking on the first day!

Tanner’s admission to LifeScape came just in time. Monica became gravely ill with influenza A, double pneumonia and sepsis. For three weeks, she was hospitalized, including 10 days in intensive care. “I don’t know what would have happened if Tanner wasn’t at LifeScape at that point,” Paul said.

As an inpatient, Tanner had intensive therapies to help him walk again. Both Paul and Monica said Tanner’s progress at LifeScape “blew their expectations out of the water.” After two weeks, he was discharged and began outpatient physical therapy three times a week at LifeScape Rehabilitation Center.

His progress has been so good that he now has therapy two times a week. He is walking well, and his therapy goals are to improve his gait, stride and balance. He’s working on navigating steps and curbs to reduce his risk of falling.

“It has been phenomenal,” Monica said. “We are so grateful for where he’s at today and for all the staff. They are so knowledgeable and patient.”

Much of the therapy and medical equipment used to treat Tanner for inpatient and outpatient care came from MallWalk donations. That’s the case for virtually everyone served by LifeScape.

You can help by starting a team, joining a team or making a donation at LifeScapeMallwalk.org. On-site registration opens at 8 a.m. Feb. 7 at the Sephora/Athleta entrance at The Empire Mall.  Warmups start at 9 a.m., with the walk beginning at 9:30 a.m., and the event ends about 11 a.m. Join us for the fun, featuring a DJ, face painting, mascots, cosplayers, balloon animals and more.  You’ll be making a direct impact on the life of a child or adult supported by LifeScape.

If you have questions, contact event coordinator Morgan Berens at LifeScape at 605-444-9808 or [email protected].