Hello! Our names are Mandi and Ashley and we are close friends of Lindsay Leutschaft nee (Gustafson). We will be running this page and supporting their fundraising efforts.

A Little About Lindsay:

Lindsay grew up in Fort Frances, Ontario and she has called Winnipeg, Manitoba her home for the past 15 years.

Lindsay is a Grade 1 & 2 teacher as well as a Reading Intervention Teacher…a role that she has worked hard to achieve in her school. She takes pride in volunteering in her community (including her local Church Food Bank and Pan-Canadian Cancer Organizations, such as the Canadian Cancer Society and the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope).

If you know Lindsay, you know her beautiful heart. She carries a quiet strength, always putting others first and continuing to shine even through life’s hardest of moments. She has a genuine enthusiasm for life and a rare ability to leave every place and every person better than when she found them. Lindsay loves the outdoors, new adventures, and she loves to tell the story of why “Let it Be" by The Beatles is her favorite song!

Lindsay is a daughter, sister, niece, auntie, cousin, friend, fur mama to Sadie and Ollie, and on October 11, 2025, she became an “official” wife. Above all… she is a FIGHTER! Lindsay has always been the one who shows up for others and now, for the first time, she is the one who needs her community to show up for her.

Lindsay’s Story:

On October 26, 2022, at just 38 years old, Lindsay was diagnosed with Stage 2 Triple Negative Breast Cancer after finding a lump on her chest. She quickly began 14 months of aggressive medical treatments at CancerCare Manitoba, including 16 rounds of IV Chemotherapy, a Lumpectomy, 20 rounds of Radiation, 5.5 months of Oral Chemotherapy pills, all alongside 1 year of Immunotherapy. After finishing treatments, Lindsay then received the news that her Stage 2 TNBC had spread to her Lung, catapulting her into a Stage 4 (metastatic) diagnosis. Her oncologist gave her hope… telling Lindsay that she “gets to write the rest of her story”. She was so grateful for these words.

Dreams of returning to teaching, starting a family, building a cabin, returning to a “normal” life as a healthy, soon-to-be 40-year-old, all came crashing down. Waiting for a lung surgery date was very difficult due to her surgery being bumped three times in four months, yet she continued to do all that she could to ensure that she was living a healthy life. If you have heard of something may help cancer, Lindsay most likely gave it her full effort!

When surgery time finally arrived, the newest scans showed that, unfortunately, the lung tumour had doubled in size and there were now 25 additional micro-metastases in her lower lung. This news meant that Lindsay’s surgery needed to be immediately cancelled and she would have to start a new form of chemotherapy from October 2024 to May 2025. However, during these 8 months, Lindsay received miraculous news! The micro-metastases had completely disappeared and her lung tumour remained stable at 1 cm. She was again a candidate for a Lobectomy after having her surgical oncologist advocate for her with the Tumour Board. On June 30th, 2025, Lindsay had the lower lobe of her lung removed. At her follow up appointment post-surgery, she was officially declared No Evidence of Disease … she even got to ring the bell!!!

The timing was perfect she could begin looking forward to their wedding in Kenora on October 11, 2025. Their wedding day was perfect and beautiful with their closest loved ones there to support and celebrate. Lindsay was doing so well that she was even able to begin a “gradual return to work” process in January 2026…yet, another curveball was looming.

On February 18, 2026, Lindsay went in for her 3-month follow-up CT scans and, perhaps, it was God’s Intervention, but she had asked her oncologist to also scan the back of her neck as a swollen lymph node had appeared. The swollen lymph node on her neck was a total fluke…it was of no concern, however, it WAS alarming to receive a phone call from her oncologist, asking her to come in for an urgent Brain MRI. The Brain MRI had discovered 3 new tumours in her brain, including a 4 cm cyst. Due to the size of the tumour, she was booked in for an Open Craniotomy surgery 6 days later to have the cyst drained. On March 11th, 2026 (exactly 5 months after their wedding), Lindsay began 3 treatments of Gamma Knife Radiation to her brain. As you can imagine, Lindsay and her loved ones could not comprehend how this could happen for a third time in 3+ years.

Lindsay, being the amazing, optimistic fighter she is, was ready to go to battle again. After 5 days in the hospital, Lindsay has been able to return home with her loving family and dogs by her side. She is recovering relatively well. As of now, Lindsay will continue to have 3-month scans (from head-to-toe) for the foreseeable future. Our fingers are crossed that May scans will also bring happy news.

How your donations will help:

Over the past 3+ years, considerable monthly funds have been spent on attacking this cancer from every angle that they could see fit... medical, spiritual, physical, holistic, and emotional.

With Lindsay not working or having her regular income since being diagnosed in 2022, donations will all help with:

• Medical expenses not covered by insurance

• Everyday living expenses

• Recovery and outside supports

We 100% understand that not everyone is in the place to donate. Sharing this page on your social media, writing encouraging words for Lindsay, and keeping her in your thoughts and prayers will uplift her spirits. Any money raised will go directly to her.

Donations to various organizations that have supported Lindsay over the 3+ years, would also be appreciated. Thank you to organizations that have helped us along the way: Melanie’s Way, Send It Foundation, Memory in Miles, Central Plains Cancer Services, Never Alone Cancer Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society’s Wheels of Hope, Victoria’s Quilts, The CURE Foundation, and the Breast Cancer Support Fund.

We will continue to update this page as we know more.

Thank you for your love and support for Lindsay.

With love,

Mandi Sivonen and Ashley Brasil