Apr
30
We were incredibly saddened to hear that our treasured blogger and friend Leanne Coppen passed away on Tuesday.
As writers, the most we can hope for is to open a few eyes with our words – to make an impact. Leanne did this a thousand-fold. With very little promotion, her blog took off like a rocket through cyberspace. Living with Breast Cancer has been Chatelaine’s most successful blog to date and the reason: Leanne’s commitment and eloquence. She shared with us the gory details of her treatment, the pain she endured, and the fear she felt even imagining leaving her daughter. Leanne literally shared everything. Back when she started writing for us in October 2008 Leanne talked about feeling lame, like a “cancer couch potato”, in comparison with the indomitable, energetic cancer superpeople she would often hear stories about. After reading Leanne’s nearly 200 posts it’s hard not to tear up. It’s also impossible not to think of her as one of these superpeople. It takes an extraordinary person to share with the world the heartaches and triumphs that occur while you’re fighting for your life.
Leanne contributed immensely to our online community over the past year and a half with her wit, passion, and the raw honesty of her words. The Chatelaine team, and everyone who connected with her personally through this blog, will miss her dearly.
- Jen O’Brien
Senior Editor
Chatelaine.com
“I always felt that people could choose to stop reading if it’s too much for them, whereas for my part I need to share it. Every time I put something out there, it’s no longer residing in me alone, building tension and choking me with fear. Every time someone replies, whether with a quick word or a dissertation, it bolsters me.”
- Leanne Coppen
Karl Lagerfeld has created a clutch for Chanel that’s perfect for the girl on the go. It’s also a great gift for those who like to splurge and a great investment on a classic piece of fashion history.
“All women have cell phones,” he says. Likely true, and this one fits all of your essentials.
Made of aged leather, velvet, suede or smooth leather it can easily be thrown in a bigger bag and work as a wallet or function as a lovely clutch for a fancy event.
Chanel Cell Phone and Credit Card Smart Bag, $765 – $975. Available in CHANEL boutiques starting May 2010.
– Kate Daley
Apr
29
Lise Watier has announced that Leah Miller will be their new national ambassador for the brand.
Miller, known for her roles on Much Music and So You Think You Can Dance Canada appeared in a sparkly Herve Leger dress for the big announcement. She joins French celeb Mitsou Gélinas as the latest face. (On a side note, how fab is her dress?!)
Mme Watier and Leah pictured at the launch event.
When I first interviewed Leah about her role with Lise Watier she gushed about all of her favourite products. She loved the mascaras for her sensitive eyes and was excited to try everything new that they had to offer.
Leah will appear in the latest ads for the Lash Booster Duo. This product has a formula on one end and a serum on the other, both helping lashes grow long and healthy using peptides (seen in many skincare products) along with Vitamins A, and E. Leah said she used to wear faux lashes but that this serum has done away with it. I’ll definitely be giving it a whirl. Leah will also be the face for a new hydrating skincare line on shelves this summer.
Visit www.lisewatier.com for more information.
– Kate Daley
A message from Leanne’s family and friends to all the wonderful people who were her cheering section through her blog…
It’s with great sadness that we write to let you all know that Leanne died last night at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto. Many of you have already heard this news and expressed your condolences in the comments following Leanne’s last post. We thank you all so deeply for sharing them.
Leanne had been experiencing more and more difficulty with her breathing as a result of the cancer that relentlessly took over her lungs. She was taken into the hospital on Sunday where they tried to make her more comfortable. The suddenness with which she declined on Monday and especially Tuesday was shocking to all of us.
Towards the end, Georgia came in to see her mama and gave her a kiss and told her she loved her. Georgia hadn’t been gone from the room for more than a few seconds when our dear Leanne simply, quietly, stopped breathing. She was surrounded by family and friends. She was at peace. The pain she had borne so bravely was finally over.
A common thread in many of your comments is the sense that, whether or not you knew Leanne in person, you always felt as though you did.
That’s not a coincidence. This blog was a flawless reflection of the things that defined her as a person: intelligence, generosity, compassion, diligence, intelligence (yes, we know we said it twice), and above all, a bold, crackling, mischievous sense of humour, one which could be either heart-warming or scathing – and often, remarkably, both heart-warming and scathing. And at times she had a unique capability to make you cry and laugh in the same paragraph – now that’s a writer.
Leanne wrote just as she lived: No holds barred. No stone unturned. No barrier unchallenged. No opportunity missed. No humour passed by.
So in that sense, all you readers who never met Leanne really did know her.
The discipline and courage required to write this blog gave Leanne so much strength. But knowing that all of you were out there reading it gave her even more, and your constant support, unfailing encouragement, and brilliant advice was a daily inspiration and a source of real joy for her. And for all of us as well.
Leanne’s fight was long, it was hard, and it was brave. Now she’s passed the torch. There is nothing she would want more than for the love and support that you gave to our dear Leanne now to be extended to the many, many others for whom the battle still goes on.
One more thing: in Leanne’s honour, we invite all of you to perform a daily exercise: choose the most over-the-top foul language in your vocabulary and mentally send it, with as much disdain as you can summon, in the general direction of cancer. She’d really, really like that.
More importantly, as impossible as it may sometimes seem, keep smiling. It was the very last thing Leanne did on this earth, and she would be, frankly, a little pissed off at all of us if we couldn’t muster the strength to do it too. Right. Freaking. Now.
Strength and love, friends. Strength and love. And, again, our deepest, heartfelt thanks to you her readers for your wonderful, unfailing support for our Leanne.
Please continue to visit this blog for comments and farewells to Leanne. And please go to www.canceriscrap.com for details on arrangements for a memorial service for Leanne.
I’m so excited about the upcoming local fruit season but sadly, it’s not here yet! In the meantime, I still crave fruit so I usually grab whatever is looking best on the shelves. I recently made a delicious fruit salad from what I had on hand. My secret ingredient for fruit salad? Canned Lichee fruit.
Here’s my quick Fruit salad with lichee recipe:
Chunky pieces from 3 mangoes and 1/2 of a honey dew melon (I had the most enormous honey dew melon so normally I probably would have used all of it).
2 grapefruits, segmented
1 can of lichee (reserve the juice)
Toss them all together and drizzle with about 1/2 of the juice left over from the lichees. It makes for a nice light syrupy coating.
How do you like to eat fruit in the off season?
