Loving Leanne

Loving Leanne - Book now Available

Leanne never married, never had children and never lived on her own. She never drove a car or caught a bus unaided. She never cooked a meal, washed her clothes or ironed a shirt. She could not because she was born with a condition called Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome (RTS). This rare genetic disorder causes mental and physical disabilities and she was always dependent on others.

Leanne's life story is told by her mother and sister and they examine the highs and lows of caring for a mentally and physically disabled person. The book is divided into seven chapters which look at Leanne's early days, how Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome affected her, her schooling, her extensive medical history, her spiritual and social life, the process of caring for her daily, and her final days. It also includes a list of RTS characteristics and problems and explains how these play out in daily life.

Loving Leanne is a story of hope and triumph with a healthy dose of reality mixed into it. An ideal read for anyone who is caregiver to a disabled person or for parents who have a child with RTS. Leanne passed away on the 1st January 2014 at the age of 47.

The photos in the below posts are included in the print version of the book but not the Kindle due to formatting issues.

Chapter One

Photos of Chapter One of Loving Leanne

Leanne as a newborn

Leanne with big sister, Debbie

Leanne at three months

Leanne with Debbie

Chapter Two

Photos from Chapter Two of Loving Leanne

Leanne joined the Girls Brigade at the age of nine

Leanne put on weight in spite of feeding problems

Leanne after her christening

Leanne with Debbie

Leanne playing with a toy

Leanne at home, aged four years

Chapter Three

Photos from Chapter Three of Loving Leanne

Eight years old in her Leander Infants School uniform

Nine years of age – St Peters Diocesan School uniform

Eleven years old in her Coghlan School uniform

As a teenager at John Slaven School

Leanne on holiday in Scottburgh

Leanne at her 13^th birthday party

Chapter Four

Photos from Chapter Four of Loving Leanne

Leanne’s left thumb in 2009

Grandpa Leslie, Debbie, Leanne and Dad John

Scars on Leanne’s upper leg where skin was

removed for grafting onto her back

Keloid scarring left by the skin graft on Leanne’s back. People with RTS are susceptible to this form of scarring where an excessive deposition of collagen spreads beyond the edges of the site of injury.