Join Claudia's Journey to Health and Recovery

Join Claudia’s Journey for Health and Recovery

On July 24th, the Laplant family heard the words no parent ever expects to hear. Your child has a tumor.

Claudia had an MRI for back pain that the family believed was caused from tubing with her brother 3 days prior. They were blindsided by the diagnosis of a 5cm long tumor located inside her spinal column starting right below her spinal cord. There was also a significant amount of blood seen on the MRI compressing her spinal cord and nerves causing excruciating back pain and numbness and tingling in her legs.

Claudia was admitted to UVM Medical Center in Burlington the next day under the care of Dr. Katrina Ducis, a pediatric neurosurgeon, to monitor her until her surgery on July 30th. Dr. Ducis planned to remove the tumor in its entirety and monitor Claudia with frequent MRI’s but things did not go as planned. Dr. Ducis was able to remove a significant amount of the tumor but could not remove a piece that was intertwined with a nerve without compromising Claudia’s neurological function in her lower extremities. Because of this piece of tumor that had to be left behind and 2 additional nerve roots that have a “sugar dusting” of tumor on them, Claudia has to undergo Proton Beam Radiation Therapy.

This specialized type of radiation therapy is not available in our area so Claudia and her mom , Stephanie will have to relocate for her treatment. The doctors have estimated Claudia’s treatments will be five days a week for a minimum of 6 weeks and will be completed at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute.

As you can imagine, this is a lot for anyone to go through, especially a 19 year old full time college student. I am setting up this GoFundMe to help cover the costs of medications, radiation therapy, relocation for 6 weeks, travel expenses, and the ongoing medical treatment that will be life long for Claudia.

Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a world of difference. We are deeply grateful for any support you can offer, whether it's through a donation or by sharing this fundraiser with your network. Your kindness and generosity are invaluable to us.

Thank you for supporting Claudia through this challenging journey. The cards and well wishes have been amazing and she is forever grateful. Your support and encouragement mean more than words can express.