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Prior Lake girl who died from cancer honored at Twins game
Dave Shepard carried a banner with his daughter’s picture on it, as he walked with his family during the Minnesota Softball Parade of Champions at the Twins game.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins welcomed dozens of 10U softball teams for their parade of champions event at Target Field.
The champs got to walk around the diamond and be recognized in front of thousands of fans. However, not every champion was physically on the field.
“I wish she was here; I’d much rather being carrying her than this, but she’s here with us,” said Dave Shepard talking about his 9-year-old daughter Addy, who died on July 1.
Dave, Angie and their son Jaxson walked for their daughter Addy, Jaxson’s twin. Addy was a pitcher for the Prior Lake 10 U softball team. She was diagnosed with Leukemia in June and died just a few days later.
“We went to St. Francis Thursday morning for a bloody nose, and they did some bloodwork, and they said ‘well, her blood numbers are really bad. She’s got a really high white [blood cell] count, a really low platelet count, which is why the bloody nose wouldn’t go away and at the time it’s either a really bad infection or she has leukemia,” he said.
It was an unexpected diagnosis. Her mother Angie said she didn’t have any symptoms leading up to their hospital visit.
“She was watching a TV show on her iPad, and she had no fear because we’re just going to the hospital, and her in mind she had a bloody nose,” Angie said. “She had no fever, she was eating, she was drinking.”
Her parents said she had a foot injury that kept her out of the circle for several games. Angie said they first saw a doctor in the beginning of May.
“We just thought it was a sports injury, so we had x-rays, and then it got better, and she was playing again. Then June 6, we went back into Tria, and they saw a difference between May and June, so thought that maybe there was a stress fracture, so they put her in the boot at that point and time. We found out later that the leukemia had infected her bones and that’s why she was sore,” she said.
After she was admitted to the hospital in late June, Addy was placed on life support within days. At the same time, her team was competing in the championship game without their pitcher and head coach, Dave.
“We were there, were in the hospital during the state tournament and watching, and she at that point was on life support, so we just told her play-by-play, who was hitting, who was pitching, who got out,” her parents said. “The girls played their hearts out that weekend.”
And they did it all for Addy.
“[Addy] was there, oh yeah, absolutely, for sure, I mean they had the motivation, the desire, pulling everybody together is always hard to do on any team, but they all had a focus of winning for Addy,” Angie said.
It’s still hard to believe how fast it all went.
“To go from a bloody nose and a foot injury to death, four days later, it’s scary for every parent,” Angie said.
Her family remembers her for her infectious spirit.
“I had no idea the lengths of people she touched,” Angie said. “She made everybody feel special and when she was with them. They were her focus.”
Dave said coaching his daughter was challenging because the line between coach and dad was thin, but they were moments he’ll cherish forever.
“It was a lot of fun, we had a lot of fun,” he said. “I coach because you have an opportunity to give these kids a light, you have an opportunity to teach them it’s more than just yourself.”
It’s a lesson that has sunk in with his team. Addy’s teammates wore purple ribbons, her favorite color, with her name and jersey number, No. 28, painted on. Showing up for Addy’s family, like they show up for each other at games.
“Team sports do a great job at getting kids to show up for each other,” Dave said.
Her family wants to create something in her honor and are in talks with a few organizations.
“We’re going to make change; we have to because Addy has touched so many people,” Angie said.
The Twins created a one-of-a-kind jersey for Addy that had her last name and jersey number on the back. Her twin brother, Jaxson, got to throw out the first pitch at the game, after they played her favorite song.
Addy’s family along with several of her teammates got to watch the game from one of the suites as Addy watched the game from above the clouds.
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
“This Valentine’s Day, 2025, will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of ‘Love is Blind,” Vanessa said on the Season 7 finale. “And, it is gonna be the launch of Season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis.”
The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
“I just never found the right person that clicked for me,” he said.
Meantime, you can bone up on Seasons 1-7 streaming now on Netflix.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
