Christmas Blessings

Leanne spoke at my church this weekend. Check it out HERE. So thankful she is willing to share her story and to give God all the credit.

Thankful

More good news!

Leanne had an appointment with her surgeon, Dr. Johnson, yesterday and he said everything looked great! Her scar is healing nicely. He did talk about reconstruction with Leanne and said that they would most likely wait 6 months, if not a year to start that process.

Praise the Lord! The swelling in Leanne's left arm is going down. She is wearing a compression sleeve that is doing its job! She is also still going to physical therapy, but not quite as often.

Please keep praying for peace for Leanne as she continues in this phase of the cancer journey. Thanks for your partnership!

One year

Hard to believe it has been a year already. In some ways the time flew by, but in other ways the time seemed to crawl by. Leanne wrote some reflections about the past year on her blog. Here they are:

I feel like I have been walking around in a fog all week.   I have been having trouble listening and focusing.  Trouble expressing myself.  Trouble finding words.  None of this is completely out of the new normal for me but my brain is racing remembering exactly where I was and what I was doing 1 year ago.  I even remember what I was wearing, is that weird?!  I still get the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

One year
12 months
52 weeks
365 days
8,765 hours
525,949 minutes
1 baby
15 chemotherapy treatments
33 radiation treatments
3 surgeries
3 hospital stays
countless doctor visits
1 life changing year

Want to know a secret?  I would not trade it for the world.  Yes, it was hard.  No, I don't ever want to go through it again or watch anyone I love go through it.  But. . .

 God. . .

God provided.  He came through in BIG ways.  Unexpected ways.  Small things that people would consider "coincidence" were perfectly orchestrated by God.  I made a list of "ways God provided."  It includes things like "the anesthesiologist at my surgery happened to be at my care conference in December" and "a friend of a friend accepted Leo at the special care nursery."  What a humbling experience to see the hand of God in so many parts of your everyday life.  I feel blessed in a way that God trusted me and my family this much to teach us so many of the lessons he did in the last year about faith, fear, believing, provision, and trust.

I do not think I am the same person I was a year ago.  In fact, I know I am not.  I feel like I have a completely different perspective.  That my life is going in a new direction.  I feel like I have a handle on what is important, that I have learned to not sweat the small things and rest in the arms of a faithful, merciful, ever providing savior.  He knows so much better than I and it is best to let him lead and not try to direct him.  He has his reasons and He is sovereign.

I am thankful.  So thankful.  Thankful that I am here.  Thankful for God's provision.  Thankful for simple joys.  Thankful for each and every person that prayed for me, sent a card, a text, brought a meal, cleaned my house, cared for Leo, drove me to radiation, and on and on and on.  I would not be here without all of you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Those words will never be enough.  From the very bottom of my heart, thank you.

The last year has been a whirlwind.  Somewhere I never thought I would be.  It changed me forever.    Allowed me to touch other people in ways I never thought I could. Birthed some things in my life that are very, very dear to my heart. Re-centered my soul.  Brought me to the arms of the One Who Holds It All in a whole new way.  And for that, I will be eternally grateful. 

Movie Star!

Check out this sweet movie about Leanne sharing her story.

Click here to see it!

Cancer free!

Thanks to the faithful in prayer who prayed over Leanne's appointments today.

Leanne met with Dr. Bloom today and he said every thing looks normal. Words we have not heard in a long time. Things look great. Leanne looks great. Normal! We are free to use the words cancer free and remission!! What an answer to prayer. We are celebrating today with more thankfulness than our hearts or words can even express.

Leanne also met with her Radiation Oncologist today and her skin is healing (another answer to prayer) and everything is looking great!

Praise God!

As the treatment phase of this journey is over, we wait for what is ahead. Leanne will meet with her surgeon, Dr. Johnson, in October to discuss reconstruction. But for now, we will remain thankful and trust God's perfect plan. Please keep Leanne in your prayers. Please pray for:

• God's peace to be with Leanne as she moves out of the treatment phase
• Wisdom for Dr. Johnson as he makes decisions regarding reconstruction
• Continued trust in God's sovereign plan

Leo Here

 

Hey Team Chinnians,
It is me, little big guy Leo.  I just wanted you to know that my Mommy has a couple of follow up appointments later this week and she was wondering if you would pray for her.  She is feeling good and everything should be fine but she said that going to appointments always makes her nervous now.

I have been trying to help her not be so nervous by keeping her on her toes.  I like to switch up which foods I will eat each day.  She never knows which ones I will eat now.  I also like to keep her on her toes by scooting all over the place.  I can get to what I want and she keeps putting all of the good stuff (like the remote) up high.  

I better sign off, Mommy's cell phone is on the floor and I bet I can make it there before she sees me.  Thanks for loving on us and praying for my Mommy.  Look for an update later this week

Leoeoeo

Prayer Request

Leanne here with a random prayer request.  So my skin is still blistery and peeling.  It hurts so they are urging me to take pain medicine.  Regular advil and tyleonl are not cutting it so this morning I took the pain medicine they want me to take and it made me sick.  Now I do not want to take the pain medicine.
It makes me laugh that I went through 15 rounds of chemo and did not puke once, not even close.   but after taking a silly pain medicine this morning I puked.  Talk about funny!!!!
Please pray that either the pain medicine will sit right with my stomach in the coming days or that the pain would go away and I would not need it.
Thanks faithful warriors!

The last time ...

Today was Leanne's last radiation treatment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God has been so faithful to provide for all Leanne has needed over the past 10 1/2 months. And we know He will be faithful to continue to provide in whatever the future holds.

Today was the last time Leanne has to park here

  

The last time to walk in here

  

The last time to open this door

  

The last time to check in at this desk

  

The last time to wait in this waiting room

  

Congrats Leanne from the Radiation Oncologists!!

  

Now that radiation is done, Leanne will have a month off until an appointment with Dr. Bloom at the end of September. Please keep praying for Leanne. Pray specifically for:

• Peace for Leanne as her treatments are done
• God to keep healing Leanne
• Wisdom for Dr. Bloom as he determines the next step for Leanne's treatment
• Rest and recovery for Leanne in the coming weeks and months

5 left!

Only 5 to go! Leanne is definitely feeling the side effects ... Bummer. The fatigue has started to set in and Leanne is experiencing painful, blistering skin where they do the radiation. Please pray for her!

Here is a family pic from the Miller's, check out all that hair :) Leanne and Ryan had Leo dedicated at their church in Fergus Falls last weekend.

 

Please keep praying for Leanne:

• Pray for the blistered, painful skin to heal quickly
• Pray for the fatigue to subside soon
• Pray for Leanne to have strength 
• Pray for wisdom for Dr. Bloom as this segment of the journey comes to a close next week
• Pray for Leanne, Ryan, and their families to continue to trust God's plan
• Pray for this little guy to consistently sleep through the night for his Mamma's sake :) and Dad's too!

  

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To all who have helped with meals, rides, watching Leo, running errands, encouraging words, and prayers. Your help is MUCH appreciated!

Happy Anniversary!

Leanne and Ryan celebrate their 3rd anniversary today. They have been through more than most couples married for 30 years. Praise the Lord for his sovereign plan as he joined them in marriage 3 years ago. What an inspiration their marriage is! Check out Leanne's post HERE.

Radiation is going well thus far. Leanne is starting to feel tired, but would say that overall she is doing well. Here she is at radiation.

   

Please continue to keep her in your prayers. Pray for:

• Peace as Leanne and Ryan discern what God has in store for their future
• Minimal side effects from the radiation
• For Leanne, Ryan, and their families to continue to trust God in this journey

Thanks to all who are helping out on the Care Calendar! We are so thankful for you!!!!!!

Radiation update

Leanne has 7 treatments under her belt and is feeling great so far! Praise God! With 5 treatments a week, it is bound to get exhausting soon but Leanne is such a trooper!

Thanks to everyone who is helping out by watching Leo, making meals, running errands, and doing her grocery shopping. We could not do this without all of your help!

Please keep praying for Leanne:

• Pray for the fatigue side effect of radiation to be minimal
• Pray for peace for Leanne
• Pray for strength for Leanne as she continues to battle cancer

Please sign up to help on the Care Calendar if you can! Click HERE to sign up.

Relay for Life

Thank you to all who were able to participate with Leanne and TEAM CHIN on Friday in the Relay for Life! It was a great event and Leanne was blessed to have the chance to share her story.

Here is Leanne's speech from the event. (Make sure you have some tissues handy, you will need them!)
 

Leanne starts radiation today. Please keep her in your prayers. Pray for:

• The radiation tech's to skillfully administer the radiation
• The side effects to be minimal (fatigue is the biggest side effect)
• Strength and perseverance for Leanne as she continues on in this journey
• Peace for Leanne, Ryan, and their families

3 months!

Leanne had an appointment with Dr. Bloom last week and at the end of the appointment he gave her some news she hasn't heard in a while.

"See you in 3 months." She couldn't believe her ears, in a good way!

Now, begins the radiation segment of her journey. She had another radiation consultation this week and had her mugshot taken.

  

Here is the form they made for her during radiation to ensure that she lays in the exact same position each time.

  

She also got tatoos :) to also make sure she gets her radiation in the same spots each time. The side effects of radiation are not as extreme as chemo, but fatigue is the biggest side effect Leanne will experience. She will start radiation on Monday and will have 33 consecutive treatments.

Please join TEAM CHIN on Friday for Relay for Life in Eden Prairie. Click HERE for more info!

Catch up!

We've been a little behind in the blogging department. Sorry! We'll try to get back on track.

Leanne has been recovering quickly and is feeling great! She started physical therapy last week to get her full range of motion back after surgery and also to get her ready for radiation. Once she is able to lift her arm fully above her head she will have the go ahead to start radiation. Radiation will consist of 33 treatments. 28 of those treatments will be for the lymph nodes and the area where tissue was removed and the remaining 5 treatments will be for the scar. Each session should last no more than 30 minutes total. As one of Leanne's friends put it, "Radiation is a piece of cake compared to chemo." Leanne was glad to hear that!

But the biggest praise of the past few weeks is that Leo is sleeping through the night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for your faithful prayers!

Please pray for:

• Wisdom for the Radiation Oncologists as they decide what type of radiation Leanne will have
• Continued peace for Leanne
• Wisdom for Dr. Bloom as he continues to make decisions regarding Leanne's treatment
• God to be glorified as Leanne has a chance to share her story at the Eden Prairie Relay for Life Race on July 13th. Click here for more info.

Here are some pics from Leanne's birthday! Doesn't she look great?!?!?

This guy ...

 

is super happy because his Mommy and Daddy got great news from Dr. Bloom today! The scan Leanne had last Monday showed that there is NO cancer in her body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dr. Bloom (he is calling himself the captain of TEAM CHIN!) is incredibly pleased with the results of surgery and chemo. She will continue to have appointments with Dr. Bloom, but now it is onto radiation and continuing to take low dose chemo meds. Radiation will most likely start within a few weeks, but we are not sure yet.

As Leanne moves on to the next stage of treatment, please keep her in your prayers. Pray specifically for:

• Wisdom for the Radiation Oncologists as they determine the plan for radiation
• Peace for Leanne and Ryan as they continue on in this journey
• Full recovery and healing for Leanne
• Effective physical therapy for Leanne
• Leo to continue sleeping better at night

The Care Calendar is back!

We need your help again!

Leanne and Ryan are in need of some help now that surgery is done and she will be starting radiation in the near future. If you can help, please read the following info and sign up!

Here is the link to the Care Calendar we have set up for Leanne, Ryan, and Leo:

http://carecalendar.org/logon/98734

When you get to the site, please use the following information to log in to their calendar:

    CALENDAR ID:   98734
    SECURITY CODE :   8797

On this website there are a few ways you can help:

1. Bring meals
2. Run errands (Target, grocery shopping, etc)
3. Housework

 When you get to the calendar, you can click on a particular need you would like to help meet. Then you will be asked to fill in some information. After entering your information, please scroll down and click Sign Up. Then, your name will show up on the calendar to let others know this need has been filled. You will also receive an email as a reminder that you signed up to help.

If you live far away, but would like to help here are some suggestions:

• Gift cards to Target to purchase groceries, cleaning supplies, etc.
• Gift cards to grocery stores in the area: Cub Foods, Wal Mart, and Rainbow Foods
• Continue to pray!

Relay for Life: Honorary Survivor

Leanne was chosen as the honorary survivor for Relay for Life in Eden Prairie this year! She will have a chance to share her story and then will lead the survivor lap. 

Click HERE for Leanne's personal Relay for Life page and HERE for the TEAM CHIN Relay for Life page. 

TEAM CHIN is forming a team, but will not be there all night long. Please consider supporting the American Cancer Society by clicking on the TEAM CHIN page HERE.

The event will be on Friday July 13, 2012 at Eden Prairie High School at 6:00pm. Hope to see you there!

Good news!

In the words of Ryan today, "We actually get to leave a doctor's appointment with some good news!"

Leanne met with Dr. Johnson today and he was said everything looked good! The skin near the incision looks good, the amount and color of the drainage looks good, and most of all Leanne looks good!

The plan for now is this:
Scans on June 11th
Meet with Dr. Bloom on June 18th
Start radiation (not sure of length of radiation treatments)
Physical therapy to get range of motion back

We know this plan can change at any time so we hold loosely to it. I know I can speak for Leanne, Ryan, and their families when I say there has been a huge sense of relief this week knowing the cancer is gone from her body.

Please continue to pray for Leanne to have a full, quick recovery
Pray for wisdom for all of Leanne's doctors as they make decisions about radiation
Pray for sweet Leo to sleep through the night :)

Gone!

Dr. Johnson called Leanne this morning to let her know the results of the pathology report. He was able to get clean margins on what he took during the last surgery and none of the lymph nodes removed in the last surgery had any cancer in them. PRAISE GOD! God is so faithful and has provided for Leanne every step of this journey so far. We are trusting Him to continue to provide what Leanne needs as she starts the next part in her treatment. All we know this far is that radiation is in the future and rehab will happen at some point to get her arm back in shape after surgery. Please keep praying for a smooth recovery and for Leo to sleep through the night. So thankful we get to celebrate with all of you!

Guess who ...

is home!

  

Leanne was discharged from the hospital and was able to enjoy breakfast with Leo this morning. :) He sure was glad to see his mommy! Leanne is so thankful for all of your prayers, encouraging texts, Facebook posts and messages. Keep 'em coming!

Please keep praying for Leanne. Pray for:

•  Smooth recovery for Leanne. 
• The pathology report would come back with clean margins. 
• Wisdom for the Doctor's as they continue to make decisions regarding Leanne's treatment.
• Leo to sleep through the night.

Done

We are talking to the surgeon right now and he filled us in. Surgery is done and all went well! It is hard to be optimistic with all that happened earlier this week but we have learned to just trust God instead. They didn't have to take any more muscle and were able to get all the lymph nodes necessary. Hopefully she will get to come home tomorrow if the pain is under control. Pray that the pain will be under control tomorrow and that Leanne will recover quickly. We appreciate your prayers more than we can express.

Surgery update

Just got a call from the surgeon that things are going well in surgery. Please keep praying!

Tonight: 6pm

Once Leo heard the news yesterday that his mommy needed to have surgery again, he wanted to go and cheer her up. Mission accomplished :)

  

We just heard from Leanne's nurse that she is scheduled for 6pm tonight. She will be taken back to pre-op at 4:30. Please keep praying today. Pray for:

• Dr. Johnson to be able to get all the cancer removed from Leanne's body
• Dr. Johnson to work quickly and safely during surgery today
• Peace for Leanne, Ryan, and their families
• Quick and full recovery for Leanne in the next few weeks
• Leo to sleep through the night
•  

 

God's Plan

Another change in the plan ...

Dr. Johnson came in this afternoon to talk with Leanne and to let her know that they found some cancer cells in her lymph nodes. So that means they have to go back in and remove the lymph nodes. Surgery will be either Thursday or Friday.

We will keep you updated as we know more. Please pray for peace for Leanne, Ryan, and their families. Pray for the surgery that all the cancer will be removed. Pray that God would be glorified in all of this.

Surgery pics & re-cap

 

This picture sums up yesterday in a nutshell.

Leanne is doing well this morning, all things considered. She is in a lot of pain, but is in great care. Dr. Johnson came in to see her this morning and said if the pain can be controlled through pills today, she will be able to come home today. We will keep you updated as we hear more news from Leanne. Here are a few pics from yesterday.

Leanne and Ryan before surgery

  

The "remote" our family had to get updates about Leanne.

  

Post-surgery dinner :) Leanne had one piece of pizza. (We didn't ask if she was able to keep it down)

  

Thanks so much for your prayers. We cannot express our thankfulness for all of the time each of you spent praying on our behalf. Please keep praying for a smooth and pain free recovery.

Final surgery update

Wow! God is so good! He has been so incredibly faithful today!

Leanne is completely out of surgery and is in recovery now.

Dr. Johnson feels like he got all the cancer. He also is pretty confident that he got good margins. There was NO cancer in her lymph nodes! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The surgeon took some fat and muscle from around her armpit and her drain is in. We will wait for the pathology report to come back in 48 hours, but Dr. Johnson said it could not have gone any better today


Thank you for your prayers today! We are so thankful for them. But we are even more thankful for God's provision today. All the credit goes to God!

I will keep the updates coming!

Update

Dr. Johnson is wrapping up surgery now. He will be in shortly to talk with Ryan and Leanne's parents.

Keep praying for clean margins when the pathology report comes back.

Update

So I was wrong :)

Surgery is at 1:30pm, not 11.

As of 20 minutes ago Leanne was in pre-op getting ready for surgery. All is on schedule.

Please keep praying! I will update when we know more.

Tomorrow is the big day.

Surgery at 11am. Leanne has to be there at 9 for some pre-surgery stuff.

I will do my best to update the blog as we get updates from the doctors.

But for now, we ask for your prayers more than anything else. Here are some specific requests:

• Guidance for Dr. Johnson's (Leanne's surgeon) hands as he operates
• That Dr. Johnson would be able to close without any trouble after removing enough skin to get clean margins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Pathology reports come back with clean margins
• Wisdom for Dr. Bloom as he continues to make treatment decisions once the pathology report and scan results are back post surgery
• Leo to sleep through the night :)
• Peace for Ryan, the White family, and the Miller family while Leanne is in surgery

We completely trust God's sovereign plan for Leanne, her life, her healing, and her treatment. We know that God's plan is better than ours, even though it might not seem like it at the time. We also know that God will answer our prayers as He chooses. Please take every opportunity in the next 24 hours to lift these requests before our great and powerful God.

Thank you in advance for your partnership!

Good To Be Busy

Hey everyone!  Leanne here.  The usual author of Team Chin is on the beach in Mexico soaking up some sun.  Can you believe her?!  She sooooooooo deserves it!

Not that I am one to talk.  Ryan and I just spent a long weekend in Phoenix hanging out by the pool which is just what the doctor ordered.  Literally.  He told us to take some time to relax and get ready for the next phase of treatment.  It was so nice to go and relax (and sleep through the night).  We took some time for ourselves to recharge our batteries before this surgery thing on Tuesday.  God is in control and we are resting in that peace. 

We have been busy the last couple of weeks and it has been good to keep my mind off of what is coming.  Don't get me wrong, I am ready to have the cancer cut out of my body and say farewell to it FOREVER!  It is just good to not be sitting home thinking about it all the time.  Leo and I are now in Iowa helping Grammie take care of Mollie while her mom and dad are gone.  I am not sure we are much help but we are loving spending time with Mollie and Grammie. (Crosby, I have space on my lap for you too!)

 

From the bottom of my heart I thank you for praying and offer up these requests as you continue to pray

• Freedom from fear and anxiety as surgery nears. (I feel like I am doing pretty well here but I know that the devil is going to fight like crazy in these next few days to get in my head)
• Safe travel for my family members who are traveling to be with us for surgery and recovery.
• Guidance for Dr. Johnson's hands as he operates.
• That Dr. Johnson would be able to close without any trouble after removing enough skin to get clean margins!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Wisdom for Dr. Bloom as he continues to make treatment decisions once the pathology report and scan results are back post surgery.
• Pathology reports come back with clean margins
• Leo to sleep through the night

Happy Mother's Day!

Lots of pics ahead!!! Leanne, Ryan, & Leo celebrated Mother's Day at Target Field by cheering on the Twins. The weather was great and a good time was had by all! Leo loved the hot dogs and cotton candy best :) Enjoy the photos!

   

Leanne enjoyed the sunshine :) and took the opportunity to get a little sun before her vacation this week.

Round #2: 11

Happy Thursday! Today was a chemo Thursday for Leanne. It was not just any normal chemo Thursday though. It was her last one.

Yes, you read that right.

 Her LAST one!

15 treatments later, she is trusting God that it will be her final chemo treatment forever. Praise God for bringing her through this part of her journey. We are trusting Him completely with what lies ahead.

 Fran was the lucky lady who accompanied Leanne to chemo today.

 

Thanks to Carmen who spent the afternoon with Leo! Who, by they way, is sleeping better at night! But, his mommy and daddy (and aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas) still want you to keep praying for him to sleep longer at night.

Surgery is 19 days away. That means Leanne has 19 days to rest, recover, and prepare for the next step. She and Ryan are going to take some time to get away just the two of them(!!!!!). She is also going to go on a little trip with Grammie Fran to spend some time with her favorite niece in Iowa, not to be confused with her favorite niece in Texas.

TEAM CHIN is so thankful for this "break" for Leanne, but we also see it as 19 days to spend lots of time in prayer for Leanne. Please join us in the next 19 days to commit to pray for:

• A restful and rejuvenating trip for Leanne and Ryan
• Wisdom for the Doctor's and Surgeon's as they treat Leanne
• That the surgeon would be able to close without any trouble after removing enough skin to get clean margins
• Pathology reports come back with clean margins
• Freedom from fear and anxiety in the coming weeks
• Guidance for the doctor's hands.
• Leo to sleep through the night

Bat girl & other blessings

Sadly, Leanne was not chosen as the Twin's honorary bat girl. She did receive tickets to the Twin's game this Sunday so Leanne will be spending her first Mother's Day at the ball park. Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote for Leanne!

On another note, Leanne is the lucky recipient of a free monthly cleaning courtesy of "Cleaning for a Reason". It is a cleaning service provided to cancer patients. She will get a monthly cleaning for the next four months. What a blessing this is!

Please keep praying for Leanne!

Round 2: #10

Yesterday was a LONG day for Leanne. She had blood work, an appointment with Dr. Bloom's nurse practitioner, and then chemo. Phew! She was glad when chemo was done and she could go home. Thanks to Leanne's mentor mom from MOPS for spending the afternoon with Leo!

We had the privilege of Skyping with Leanne during chemo. We met her friend, Sarah, via Skype and got to see one of Leanne's favorite nurses, Holly.

Leanne never ceases to amaze me. Her perspective in the midst of this trial is incredible and a challenge to all around her to see life as she does. Read this post, Warning: Baldie Below, and you'll see what I mean.

As surgery approaches, please keep Leanne in your prayers. Please pray specifically for:

•  Wisdom for the Doctor's and Surgeon's as they treat Leanne
• That the surgeon would be able to close without any trouble after removing enough skin to get clean margins
• Pathology reports come back with clean margins
• Freedom from fear and anxiety in the coming weeks
• Guidance for the doctor's hands.
• Leo to sleep through the night.

Thanks for your partnership! We could not do this without you!

Surgery

Normally I would be posting about chemo today, but this is Leanne's week off! Instead of chemo, Leanne got a much needed massage.

The Care Team met on Monday to discuss Leanne's plan for surgery. Her surgery is scheduled for May 29th. She will have chemo on May 3rd and 10th  as long as her counts are high enough. At this point, radiation is planned for after surgery. Leanne will not be able to have reconstruction until after radiation is complete. They want to give her some time to heal and get radiation in without trying to stretch the skin too quickly.

As far as surgery goes, the surgeon will have to take some skin in order to get clean margins. (Meaning the surgeon wants to get all of the cancerous tissue in that breast) 48 hours after surgery the final pathology report will come back. If the margins are not clean enough, they might have to go back into surgery again. Once the surgeon has clean margins, if the skin does not close they will have to use a flap of skin from her back to close.

So, as you can tell, lots of changes are in store for Leanne. Please keep praying for her. Here are some specific requests from Leanne:

• That the surgeon would be able to close without any trouble after removing enough skin to get clean margins
• Pathology reports come back with clean margins
• Counts stay up for two more chemo treatments before surgery
• Freedom from fear and anxiety in the coming weeks
• Guidance for the doctor's hands.
• Leo to sleep through the night.

Baby shower

Leanne's friends at her school in Alexandria had a baby shower for Leanne and Leo this week. So, Leanne, Fran, and Leo headed up north to celebrate!

Leanne, Ryan, and Leo were blessed with lots of great gifts!

  

Amy enjoyed her snuggle time with Leo :)

  

And Leanne enjoyed getting to spend time her friends.

  

Thanks for taking the time to celebrate Leanne and Leo!

Round 2: #9

Today was not just any old Thursday, it was a chemo Thursday filled with lots of appointments. At 8:05 Leanne, Ryan, Chris, and Fran headed down to Dr. Bloom's office for the first appointment of the day. Dr. Bloom continues to be pleased with the results of the chemo and gave the OK on his part for surgery to happen when the surgeon determines. Praise the Lord the tumor has shrunk enough for surgery to be a possibility right now. God is so good!

Next, it was chemo time! Holly was Leanne's chemo nurse today.

 

 Leanne is so thankful for nurses like Beth and Holly for taking such good care of her. Fran and Ryan were the chemo buddies for today! Mary was the lucky lady who got to spend the day with Leo. Thanks Mary!

 

Miss Mollie and I were some of the lucky ones who got to Skype with Leanne.

 

Mollie loves her Skype time with Auntie Leanne. As soon as she hears Auntie Leanne's voice, she immediately begins signing "please" for her to start singing. And Auntie Leanne never disappoints!

  

I know for certain that every member of TEAM CHIN is so thankful for the gift of technology!

Then, it was time for Leanne's appointment with Dr. Johnson, the surgeon. He also gave the OK for surgery to happen. (Praise the Lord again!!) All we know at this point, is that surgery will be in about 6 weeks. Dr. Bloom and Dr. Johnson are meeting on Monday with the care team to discuss whether or not Leanne will have chemo in the 6 weeks leading up to surgery. I will post an update when we know more about their plan for Leanne's treatment.

We are so thankful for your continued prayers!!! Please keep them coming! Here are some specific requests:

• Pray for wisdom for the doctors as they meet on Monday and continue to make decisions regarding the plan for Leanne's treatment
• Pray for Leanne and Ryan to continue to have peace about the plan of treatment, whatever it may be
• Pray for Leanne, Ryan, and their families to ultimately trust God's plan for the Miller's
• Pray for Leo to continue to sleep longer at night. He has been sleeping great the past few nights! Thanks for your prayers!

Check back tomorrow for pictures of a baby shower for Leanne and Leo!

Faithful Warriors,

Thank you so much for partnering with us in prayer!  I can truly feel your prayers and the peace that can only come from God wrap around me. Would you please partner with us in lifting up the J family today.
Woodland School lost one of our own last night.  Judy J went home to be with Jesus after her own courageous battle with cancer.  Please lift up her family.  Her husband is Bill and they have three kids (similar ages to myself and my two sisters).  Please pray that they find peace in knowing that Judy is no longer in pain and that she is a part of the biggest party!
Right after I found out last night Ryan and I were talking and praying for the J family and it started to thunder.  I am not a big fan of storms at all but Ryan and I were rejoicing in the fact that Judy was having the time of her life with JESUS!!!

I leave you with the words of another favorite song.
When I don't understand I get to choose you, when I don't understand I get to choose to love you god. . . And you are good God, and you are good to me.   (I Breathe You In God- Brian and Katie Torwalt)

from Leanne:

Taken from Leanne's blog:

My heart is light tonight. I am continually amazed at the love and support of people!  I cannot tell you how many people have shared the link about the honorary batgirl contest.  People from all different times in my life, people that I talk to regularly and others that I have not talked to in years and others whom I only know by association.  Whether or not I win is not the point, the point is that I feel sooooo loved to know that people care enough to want to share.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each person that has shared the link or voted.  I am truly humbled by your support of me as I walk what has been the toughest journey of my life.  Knowing that you are behind me gives me confidence and energy to continue walking each day at a point in my journey when it is easy to get frustrated and tired and want to quit.
I am also constantly amazed at how God provides opportunities to remind me of his love.  The sunshine, a smile from a stranger, a song I love on the radio, a parking spot near the door on a day when I am tired.  Each week as we leave the Gathering at church I reflect that the music was just what I needed to hear.  You see, I LOVE the music part of worship and find comfort in songs because they remind me of the promises of God.  Tonight was no different.  We sang two of my FAVORITE songs tonight and as I head into another week and the beginning of another three week round of chemo I leave you with the promises of those songs. . .

Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me.  And I never, ever have to be afraid, one thing remains. . . (One Thing Remains- Jesus Culture)

I will bring praise, I will bring praise, no weapon formed against me still remains, I will rejoice, I will declare, God is my victory and he is here.  All of my life, in every season, you are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship. . . (Desert Song-Hillsong)

Round 2: #8

The cutest, little red-head was one of Leanne's chemo buddies today! (Isn't he getting to be quite the chunker!)

Grammie Fran was also there to help keep Leanne and Leo company. The nurses were pretty excited to see this little guy! And Leanne too :)

Dr. Bloom (her oncologist) saw Leanne today and continues to be pleased with the results of the chemo! Praise the Lord! Please keep praying for Leanne in the following ways:

• Wisdom for Dr. Bloom and Dr. Johnson (her surgeon) as they meet with Leanne next Thursday to discuss the next steps of her treatment plan
• Peace for Leanne, Ryan, and their families as they trust in God's sovereign plan for Leanne's treatment
•  That the medicine would continue to effectively shrink the tumor
• Leo to keep sleeping longer and longer each night!

Care Calendar Update

Some of you may have noticed the Care Calendar set up for Leanne and Ryan has no open dates. While I know so many of you have been faithful to help in so many ways, no openings is a good thing for the time being!

Leanne and Ryan feel like they are in a good routine right now and are able to take over the responsibilities from the Care Calendar.

However, with surgery sometime in the future, Leanne and Ryan will need your help once again. So, enjoy the time off and I will let you know when TEAM CHIN needs your help in this way again.

Round 2: #7

Leanne had some very special friends go to chemo with her yesterday!

 Amy and Patti (two of her teacher friends from Alex) joined her yesterday! Thanks for spending your personal day with Leanne :) She was so thankful you were both there with her. And thanks to Auntie Aimee for watching Leo!

Leanne saw Dr. Bloom in the hallway and he continues to be very excited about the results of the chemo treatments. What great news! We are so thankful that God is allowing this medicine to keep working.

Please keep praying ...

• Pray the chemo would continue to shrink the tumor
• Pray for wisdom for Dr. Bloom as he makes treatment decisions
• Pray for peace and contentment for Leanne as she trusts God's plan
• Pray for God to continue to show himself faithful to Ryan, Leanne, and their families
• Pray for Leo to continue to sleep longer at night :)

Happy Easter to our TEAM CHIN friends! May you rejoice in the power of Jesus' death and resurrection like never before this Easter.

Fundraiser!

As many of you know, Leanne is a 5th grade teacher at Woodland Elementary in Alexandria, MN. However, due to the place God has them in life, Leanne took the remainder of this school year off to focus on beating cancer and taking care of precious Leo.

Even though she is not there day to day, her school has certainly not forgot about her. The students organized a fundraiser this year and wanted to donate the proceeds to the American Cancer Society in honor of Leanne and another teacher at her school who has also battled cancer.

So yesterday Leanne and Aimee headed north to Alexandria for the presentation of the check to the American Cancer Society.

Here are all the sweet kids gathered for the assembly. Look at all that pink! (the kids wore pink and yellow to honor Mrs. Miller and Mrs. J.)

One of Leanne's best teacher friends, Amy, helped with the assembly. Here she is with the three students who also organized the fundraiser.

Leanne got a chance to speak for a few minutes and was presented with a medal from the American Cancer Society acknowledging her fight against cancer.

Here is Leanne with two of her former students who helped organize the fundraiser.

Leanne and Amy

Leanne's class made these awesome signs for her!

Leanne was able to spend some time with her students! I don't know who was more excited, Leanne or the students.

Thank you Woodland Elementary!

Vote for Leanne!

Thanks to the MLB for celebrating all the women who have faced breast cancer in their lives! They are going to honor one woman at each team's Mother's Day home game. That woman will be the honorary bat girl. So this is where you come in! We need your votes!!!!

If you are on Facebook, you have probably already seen this on Leanne's page, But just in case you have not seen it yet, please click on the "Vote for Leanne" link below and it will take you to her voting page. Click on her picture and then click on the read button at the top of her picture. Once you get to her personal page, scroll down and you will find where to vote!

Vote for Leanne!

I have figured out you can vote more than one time from each computer, so copy the link to your favorites and vote as many times as you want :) Please feel free to pass this on!

Voting ends April 5th!

Round 2: #6

And a happy chemo day to all the TEAM CHIN readers! It truly was a happy day for Leanne! She was pretty anxious about her appointment with Dr. Bloom (her oncologist) today, but she also knows that God is good no matter what happens.

Dr. Bloom was very pleased with the results of this round of chemo! He was almost in tears he was so pleased :) When Leanne was first diagnosed she had some blood work done to check the level of the tumor markers in her blood. They were around 150 when initially tested and after her first round of chemo that number was down to around 110. In the month after Leo's birth, when Leanne did not have any treatment, the number rose to 200. But today, the number was down to 50. Yes, you read that right! FIFTY! And for all of you (like me!) who have no idea what those numbers mean, they consider anything under 40 to be normal. Praise God for allowing the chemo to be so effective to shrink the tumor so much!

In light of those results, Dr. Bloom wants to do two more months of chemo. However, he will check in with Leanne at the end of April and the end of May. And as we have learned in the past, we are holding loosely to those plans because they can change at any time!

Chris, Fran, Leanne, and Ryan went to the appointment with Dr. Bloom, but only Fran and Ryan went with Leanne to chemo. Thanks Kathy for spending the afternoon with Leo!

 Thank you so much for your faithfulness in prayer for Leanne and TEAM CHIN. God is doing big things and it is amazing to watch His plan unfold in the lives of Leanne, Ryan, Leo, and their families. Please keep praying for:

• The tumor to continue to shrink
• Continued wisdom for Dr. Bloom and the other oncologists as they treat Leanne
• Strength, patience, and contentment for Leanne and Ryan as they continue on in the battle against cancer
• Leo to start sleeping longer stretches at night
• God to continue to show Himself faithful to Leanne, Ryan, and their families