Fabulous Women's Retreat!

We had a wonderful, fabulous, off the chain, over the top, women's retreat this past weekend! Kate Eifert and her amazing team of women from Bethel in Redding came down and blessed us beyond anything we could have imagined! Thank you Lord! My heart is so full!

Karen Greschel has a blog!

For those of you who would like to keep up with Karen Greschel's fight against ovarian cancer please check out her new blog at:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/karengreschel

I will be keeping Karen's blog updated for her and she will add journal entries as she is able. Thank you in advance for praying for her! We've been friends for 31 years and she is very dear to my heart. Blessings!

Best Place for Prosthesis and Prosthetic Bra Fitting

When I first began this journey of life without my own breasts, my first visit to a local shop to get fitted with prosthetic breasts and bras was overwhelming and sort of made my head spin. I didn't know what to ask or what to look for, I didn't know that I had many, many options, I just took what was given to me.

Now, a couple of years down the road, I have found a gem that I wanted to share with you. For those of you (or a friend or loved one) who have lost your breast/s to cancer or whose breasts need some filling out due to a lumpectomy or whose reconstruction still needs a little help to have a more natural look, I have good news.

My surgeon, Dr. Kerlin, sent me to Nordstrom! Who knew they had prosthesis certified experts?! I didn't, but it was the best experience I've had to date.

For those who live near Walnut Creek, CA, I highly recommend Sommer Boulit. She is in the Lingerie department, you can call 924/930-7059 ext. 1240.

She was very, very kind, honoring, sensitive and thoughtful. She listened to my concerns and needs and was able to fit me perfectly. Surprisingly, the prices there were comparable or actually less than another place I had gone before. I could not have been happier with my experience and I wanted to pass along the good report.

Ask your doctor for a prescription for prostheses and bras. Sommer will help you with the paper work to see if you can get reimbursed from your health insurance. I hope this helps some of you, it was a huge help to me!

Doing a Healing Workshop for Aglow Fall Retreat

I am excited about getting to do a Healing Workshop for the Nor Cal Aglow Retreat on November 6. I will do some teaching but want to focus mostly on equipping people with a hands on practical approach to praying for healing. I think that healing workshops are my favorite because the Lord loves to heal and always comes in supernatural ways to meet the needs of His people. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls those who follow Him to heal the sick. I believe that healing is a key to seeing the revival come that we are all praying for and expectantly waiting for, especially for Northern California. Please pray for miracles of healing and for an impartation of healing gifts and anointing on those who attend the workshop. Thank you!

Please pray for my friend, Karen Greschel

I returned this week from being away for almost three weeks. On October 1, I got a call that my dear friend, Karen Greschel, was in the emergency room with blood clots in both lungs. (She and I have been friends for 31 years.) I was at the national Aglow conference to support my friend, Mary Forsythe, as she was the key note speaker that night. I left the conference immediately and drove to Southern California to be with Karen in the hospital. It turned out that the clots were formed because of pressure that was coming from a large ovarian cancer tumor.

In what was one of the fastest medical response times I've ever seen, she was sent to City of Hope, a premiere cancer center, had tests done and was in surgery a week and a half later. The favor of the Lord and the amazing efficiency of this cancer center was amazing to watch.

Karen's surgery was 91/2 hours long, she was in intensive care for a few days and then the hospital for a total of just over a week. She is home now. She will go in on Tuesday to get the staples out and find out the results of what they found during surgery. At that time, they will put together a game plan to fight the ovarian cancer. Please pray for Karen, for healing and life to flow through every cell of her body! Thank you!

I was able to stay down there to help for almost three weeks. I had to come home because I was due for my Lupron shot that I get every three months and my Zometa infusion that I get every six months. I pushed my treatment back as far as I could safely push it. I also needed to come home to be with my family and my wonderful church family. The support they gave me as I was away was just tremendous. I'm sure lots of pastors must feel this way, but I think we have the best church in the world. Our people are so amazing!

Restoring and Redeeming!

If you've visited my blog before, you'll notice I changed the look. I believe that I am entering a new season where God is going to be restoring and redeeming the things that I had to lay down during my fight with cancer. Of course when I saw the background of a map of the nations, I knew that was the one for me! I am asking God to release me to return to the nations in this next year among many other things!

I believe this restoring and redeeming season began in August/September and is not just for me but for many in the Body of Christ. This is a transition time to set us up to move into both restoration/redemption as well as into new things. I have set aside a couple of days (Monday night thru Thursday) to seek the Lord because I don't want to carry any old mindsets into this new season. I am asking God to show me every place where old mindsets and thought patterns don't line up with His thoughts and perspective. I want to transition fully and be on the same page as Jesus. It is my strong desire to have the mind of Christ and an increased anointing of the Holy Spirit for His Kingdom and His glory. I am so thankful that the Lord promises to meet those who diligently seek Him. He loves to answer our prayers!

Fourth Surgery

I had my fourth surgery on August 16th. The goal was to remove the expander on my right side and replace is with a saline implant as well as make a number of repairs to both the right and left sides. I had 7 incisions of varying lengths in all. The surgery was supposed to take 2 1/2 hours, but ended up taking an additional hour because there was so much scar tissue, called capsular contraction. I had hoped this would be my last surgery, but it looks like I will need at least one more and perhaps a second down the road.

The good news is that I recovered more quickly from this surgery than from any surgery I have previously had, which was wonderful and very encouraging. I am up in Bodega Bay right now to spend a couple of days seeking the Lord. I was able to drive myself up here and even walk on the beach today just two weeks out from surgery. That is miraculous compared to my previous recovery times from major surgery.

I see the surgeon again in a few weeks. We need to wait until the swelling has gone down before we can make a good decision about what is next.

I REALLY don't want to have any more surgeries. I am praying for a miracle to restore my left reconstructed breast. Scar tissue is building up again there from the radiation damage and surgeries, it is significantly shrinking and contracting the muscle and skin around the implant again. The new right "breast" is great, but the left one is getting smaller and smaller and tighter and tighter. At least it is not as bad as it was last January before the surgery in February. I couldn't inflate my lungs completely because of the restricting scar tissue. I really need a miracle to restore the muscles and skin on the left side. I know that God is able.

Please join me in praying for restoration and healing! Thank you!!

Kayaking!

I was able to achieve one of my goals of recovery...to kayak again. Last February, I had a very large portion of my lattissmus dorsi muscle cut and brought around to try and reconstruct my left breast due to severe radiation damage. (It is the muscle that covers a large part of the back and is used to paddle a kayak among many more things than I ever realized until a chunk of it was gone!) It took many months to every so slowly regain strength and flexibility in my left arm, shoulder and back. I am happy to say that perseverance and hard work and lots of prayer culminated in my being able to kayak on Donner Lake up near Truckee on our family vacation. It was so much fun! My whole family went along with our good friends the Grunder family. It was simply wonderful!! Thanks Susan for being my kayak buddy!

Cancer Free from Head to Toe!

It has been several months since I have written. I don't know who is still following my blog but I hope to begin updating it regularly again. After the retreat, I began working full time again and it took a lot more out of me than I anticipated. I really needed to put all of my energy and effort into that and so things like my blog were put on hold.

I also needed a break from thinking about fighting cancer. I just wanted to live day to day without thinking too much about it. That is another reason I didn't blog for a time.

Since my last post, much has happened. I went through a time in May and June, like most people who have finished up treatment, where I was battling with fear. For example, when I would have a bad headache, in the back of my mind I would fear that the cancer had gone to my brain, or if I coughed more than usual, that it had gone to my lungs, etc. I have heard this is a common occurrence among cancer patients, I've read about it and knew it was silly, but as much as I would pray, I couldn't get it to go away completely. So one day, I prayed and told the Lord that I really needed Him to take care of this because try as I might, I could not.

Just a few weeks later, I found a lump near where my original cancer tumor was found. My heart dropped into my stomach. It turned out to be just a glob of fatty tissue that had died from radiation trauma and formed a lump. To find that out, however, I needed to go through a battery of tests. Finally, the tests all came back confirming that from head to toe, I am cancer free. I was VERY relieved and so grateful. Suddenly the Lord brought back to mind that I had prayed and asked Him to take care of my fear. I hadn't really thought He would do it in this way, but He did a very thorough job of answering my prayer. I now no longer have to fear or worry, I know objectively that the cancer is out of my body, head to toe. When I realized He had answered my prayer through all of that, I laughed out loud, thanked Him and have been at great peace ever since.

Aglow Retreat was so fun!

Thank you so much for praying for the Aglow Retreat. Thank you to those of you who were able to attend. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed having the strength, health and energy to be able to teach and minister at a retreat. I taught three sessions! Such a huge milestone for me. As I was standing there that first night, I was thinking of all of you who have prayed for me, I was there because of your faithful prayers for me.

I kept thinking of the verse that I have prayed so many times over the past 2 1/2 years,
Psalm 118:17 "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."
That is exactly what happened at the retreat! I live and I am declaring the works of the Lord! God is so faithful!! We are hearing wonderful reports of changed lives as a result of what God did at the retreat. It is such a privilege to follow Jesus!

God bless you abundantly for all that you have given in prayer and may the fruit that is born in the lives of those who attended the retreat be attributed to you when you stand one day before our heavenly Father.

with much love and a grateful heart!
Leslyn

Aglow International North Bay Area Spring Retreat this weekend!

I will be speaking at the Aglow International North Bay Area Spring Retreat this weekend, April 30 and May 1. This will be the first retreat I have done since my fight began with cancer back in October 2007! It has been a long time.

I am really excited about the retreat. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do through me and in me. I feel like I have learned much during the trials, suffering and quietness of the past two and a half years. It will be interesting to see how all of that comes out as I am teaching and ministering.

I need to head to bed, but thought I'd post this upcoming retreat. It is truly a testimony of the faithfulness of God to see me through this past battle. It is also a testimony to your faithful prayers to help me get to this new place. I hope that you are as encouraged as I am that I am able to do this. It is a new day!

What an awesome time!!!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers for me as I was away at the Open Heavens conference at All Nations Church. I am home now with a full and happy heart. I had a wonderful time with the Lord and with my dear friends. My body held up miraculously well. God is so very good and faithful!

It was the first time I have really traveled where I was so aware of the weakness in my body. I have always been pretty strong physically and have never felt vulnerable while traveling. This time, with the new reality of my body, I realized that I did feel vulnerable. I spent some time in prayer and realized I had an opportunity to trust God in a new way to be my strength and my defender. He was faithful and I feel like my own faith grew in the experience.

Blessings!!

Heading to the Open Heavens Conference at All Nations Church!

YES!!! I have been cleared by my surgeons to travel!! Several weeks ago I felt the Lord tell me I could go to the Open Heavens conference at All Nations Church in Charlotte, N. Carolina, but circumstances made that seem impossible! I was sick with an ear and sinus infection, I had surgery coming up and an infusion that usually makes me very sick. I talked with Ron and we both believed I was to move forward in faith, so I did. I went online and bought the ticket, though I must confess that I did buy trip insurance, just in case I had not heard correctly.

I am thrilled to say that tomorrow I will use that ticket to fly to N. Carolina. This is my first major trip since October of 2007 when I first got sick!! It has been a long journey, but all along my desire has been to go to a conference with the Chavda's as soon as I was able. That day has finally arrived. All Nations Church is like family to me. They have prayed and fasted so faithfully. I am looking forward to being able to thank all of them. I am so grateful to them just as I am so very grateful to all of you!!

It is a new day!!

Please pray that I am able to deeply receive from the Lord, to soak in His presence and be renewed and nourished.
Pray that I receive healing and impartation of all that God wants to give me over the next 5 days.
Pray that I will be refreshed and come home ready to speak for the Aglow International North Bay Area Spring Retreat that I am doing on April 30 and May 1.
Pray for renewed and deepened friendships at All Nations Church and with those there for the conference. I believe there are divine appointments awaiting me!!
Thank you!!

Check out the three new encouraging posts below

I have three new very encouraging posts below. Check them out starting with "Best Surgery EVER!" Thanks again for all of your prayers. I am so excited and I think you will be too!!

NO More Hyperbaric Treatments!!

Another truly miraculous outcome of the last week is that both of my surgeons have determined that the surgery was such a success and healing has happened so quickly that I don't need to have any more hyperbaric treatments!! I think I am still in shock.

I went into surgery with the understanding that I still needed anywhere from 30 - 50 more treatments. Suddenly, I don't have to have any more at all!!

I am still stunned. It is slowly sinking in that this has really truly healed and all of the pain and struggle of the past two and a half months is over (and that of course on the heels of two and a half years of struggle and suffering). I was even able to take a normal shower for the first time since February 2! I have only been able to shower about once a week and even then I had to wrap and tape the wound with Saran Wrap to keep all water off of the wound. Not very comfortable!

The little things in life, like a normal daily shower, are such a wondrous gift. Thank you again for your prayers and partnership in this long struggle. I could not do this without your faithful prayer and support. This sudden break through of healing is truly a miracle...our miracle! Thank you!

Healing Beautifully

Three days after the surgery I changed the dressing. I was a little afraid to take the bandages off, I just didn't know what to expect. Going into surgery, I did not have very high hopes regarding the cosmetic outcome of the surgery. I kept telling myself that all that mattered was that the wound would get closed and that it didn't matter what it looked like. Going into surgery, the wound looked really bad, it was very deforming. I was also concerned that it wouldn't heal properly after all that I had been through after the Feb. 2 surgery.

So the morning of the third day, I very slowly removed the bandages and hesitantly peeked inside to see how it looked. I almost cried from relief. It already looked 100 times better than I had even dared hope. I had no idea that the surgeon could make it look so "normal." Clearly, I still have a reconstructed breast, no one will mistake it for a real one, but it is amazingly normal. I still can't quite get over it.

There was one dark spot that I was a little concerned about, but it turned out to be just fine.

One week after surgery, the doctor took out my stitches. It is healing beautifully!

Sometime over the summer, he will complete the reconstruction of the right breast, but for now, I am going to enjoy the wonder of healing and health!

Thank you so much for praying! This is just what we were all asking for and I am so very grateful!!

Best Surgery EVER!

Wow! I had no idea surgery could go so well. It was an amazing experience. I went in for surgery bright and early, everything was running exactly on time. They started an IV and let Ron and both of my daughters back into the pre-op area with me. It was so nice. They prayed for me and shortly afterward they took me into the surgical suite. I was fully awake. I scooted over onto the operating table and they gave me 2 cc's of some sort of sedative. Then the surgeon numbed the area with local anesthetic. The initial injections of it hurt but soon I was not feeling anything. The surgeon asked if I'd like any more sedative and I said, "Nope, I'm good!"

So he proceeded to begin the operation. He removed a majority of the granulation tissue down almost to the muscle, then brought the sides of the wound together and sewed the whole thing up. I could feel a lot of pressure and pulling, but no pain. I was completely at peace. It was an amazing experience. I lay there chatting with the nurses and my doctor in my croaky voice. One of my nurses was from West Africa, so that was fun talking with her. I had a pretty bad cold and laryngitis, but the doctor said I was well enough to have surgery, so we went for it!

Amazingly, I coughed once when I first lay down on the table, but did not cough even one time during the whole hour long surgery. That was truly a miracle.

I scooted back over onto the gurney and they wheeled me into recovery. Gave me a little something as a preventative for nausea and I was good to go. They sent me home in less than an hour after surgery. I got home and slept several hours that day and was just fine. I was tired for a few days, but other than that, just great. By the second day, all I needed for pain was Tylenol.

So many specific answers to prayer! Thank you all so much for praying. I am still in awe of God's goodness.

Surgery tomorrow, Thurs, April 8, 7:30 AM

So I am on for surgery tomorrow bright and early. I have had an ear and sinus infection, so I didn't know for sure if I could have surgery until today. I developed the sinus and ear infection last week as a result of being in the pressure of the Hyperbaric chamber day after day. I started antibiotics on Friday, so I have 6 days worth in my system. I still have laryngitis, congestion and a cough, but no fever.

I was not getting any better and then put out a request for prayer on Facebook and woke up the next morning feeling better. Prayer is an amazing gift!! I have not run a fever since folks started praying specifically. Awesome!

So, tomorrow my plastic surgeon will go in and close this open wound I have in the left breast area. The wound is a result of a severe lack of vascular support to the area caused by radiation damage from treatment I had last year. When the doctor tried to repair and reconstruct my left breast area during surgery on February 2, part of the skin graft died. Once they cleaned out the dead tissue, I was left with this wound that still has not been able to heal.

Tomorrow, I am trusting the final step in this healing process will begin!
**Please pray that the surgery goes even better than planned.
**Please pray that enough blood supply gets to the closure so it can heal quickly.
**Please pray I DO NOT cough during surgery!
**Please pray that the surgery sight remains infection free!!
**Please pray that I do not get nauseated from the sedation.

Thank you so very much!! I know that your prayers, love and support are sustaining me on this very long journey! I am so grateful.

On for surgery...Thursday, April 8

I am pleased to report that the tissue in the wound is healthy enough to have surgery next week. I am relieved.

I have had 13 Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBO) and have been going to wound care and progress is finally being made! Yea! As you may recall, after my surgery on February 2, I immediately began to have trouble with the grafted skin beginning to die. The radiation damage to my vascular system around the breast area was much worse than anyone realized. There was just not a sufficient blood supply to the newly grafted skin. The skin graft was replacing skin very scared by radiation. Thankfully the muscle flap that the surgeon brought around from my back worked well, it was just about 1/2 of the skin that died. At this point, the wound will not close without surgery.

So next week, Thursday, April 8, I will have out patient surgery bright and early in the morning. The plastic surgeon will remove some of the raw granulation tissue so that he can bring the ends of the surviving skin together to close the wound. I am hopeful that things will move along much more quickly once the wound is closed.

It will be outpatient surgery at the Aspen Surgery Center in WC. I will be in twilight sleep with local anaesthetic for about an hour. I will get to go home that day. I will continue HBO treatments starting the next day. They want to do everything they can to make sure I get enough blood circulation this time!

Please pray:
**I have a bit of a cold, enough to keep me out of HBO treatment the last couple of days, that needs to be healed quickly and completely!
**Please pray that the surgery goes well, without any problems or setbacks.
**Please pray that my blood vessels are strong enough to feed the surgery site so that there is no more necrotic/dying skin. If I need more vascular support, please pray for a miraculous healing in that area.
**Please pray that I will not be nauseated from the medication they use to help me sleep through the surgery.
**Again, please pray for NO COMPLICATIONS!!

Thank you so very, very much!!

Seeing the plastic surgeon today

I have an appointment this afternoon with my plastic surgeon They have determined that the wound left from my surgery on Feb 2 will not heal without an additional surgery. I am hoping I can have it next week. I will find out today.