On Tuesday October 11, 2011 Leanne (Chin) was diagnosed with breast cancer. This blog will follow her journey. It will share the peaks and valleys along the way. But it will also serve as a way to communicate prayer requests and praises. Join us as we partner with Chin and fight along side her for she "...can do all things through Christ who strengthens her." Phil. 4:13

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The meaning behind Chin ... There is a Chinese restaurant in the Twin Cities named Leann Chin. While Leanne was attending a basketball camp in middle school, a fellow camper had a bag from the restaurant. This camper made the connection between the name of the restaurant and Leanne's name. And the nickname Chin stuck!

Thursday, May 31, 2012

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
  •  
 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

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.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

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.

Monday, May 28, 2012

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!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

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

Monday, May 14, 2012

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.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

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

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

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!

Friday, May 4, 2012

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!