Hi everyone,

My beautiful friend Leandra Sandahl is 37 yrs old and I have set up a GoFundMe on her behalf. If you know Leandra and her mom Rose Mary Leggio, you know they have been fighting battle after battle since Leandra was 7 years old.

In 1st grade, she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and underwent chemo, a bone marrow transplant donated by her big brother, and lots of treatment. Age 8, after a relapse and total body radiation, treatment eliminated the blood cancer but was brutal to her system. Since then, she has suffered a huge number of illnesses and various cancers tied to her childhood cancer and treatments.

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Since childhood Leukemia:

1. Partial hysterectomy at 25 yrs old due to a softball-sized tumor on her ovary

2. Melanoma skin cancer (removed from back of head, chest, and other areas)

3. A tumor crushed her 11th rib in 2022. After several, painful months of doing injections and epidurals, surgeons removed tumor, rib, and nerves

4. Renal Cancer at 34 yrs old (Partial nephrectomy)

5. Intestinal masses and gallbladder removed 36 yrs old

6. Kidney cancer diagnosis in 2023

AND NOW

7. Fighting Breast Cancer and undergoing a double mastectomy at 37 yrs old

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In addition, Leandra has early onset Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Diabetes, and Fibromyalgia. She's also suffered from Graft vs. Host Disease (GVH), a byproduct of the bone marrow transplant at age 7. Recently, her neurologists have also discovered multiple Cavernomas in her brain - tangled clusters of blood vessels that may begin to leak blood and cause Leandra neurological issues.

In 2024, she had surgery to remove 2 masses, 60+ polyps in her small intestines, and they removed her gallbladder. Leandra went home for Thanksgiving, lost her balance, and fell. She broke her tibia, causing a longer road to recovery. After breaking bones 4 times in one year, she’s received infusions to strengthen her bones. Wheelchair bound, she had physical and occupational therapies to walk again. During an intubated surgery in 2024, doctors broke her fragile teeth when removing the tube, leading to very expensive dental care needs.

Friends, this is her 5th time fighting cancer. She just had a double mastectomy and several lymph nodes removed that were malignant, leading to another surgery Nov 24th. 10 out of 12 lymph nodes have now come back positive. She will be seeing radiologists and oncologists in Madison for additional scans, and likely face more chemotherapy and radiation.

Leandra and Rose now face staggering medical bills, in part due to insurance coverage changes. I ask that during this season of giving, we give to two wonderful women who have undergone decades of struggle and heartache. As strong as Leandra is, she needs the strength of her community this time to help her through this latest battle in her war against cancer. A donation of any amount will be vital for her everyday survival and medical costs. Thank you for considering a gift and sharing her story.

Zizi Altamore