An ovarian cancer advocate who defied the odds by living beyond her survival prognosis has tragically lost her brave fight with the disease.
Melbourne mum Leane Flynn, 55, died on Tuesday surrounded by her husband Justin and their three daughters.
She was a ‘picture of health’ and had just come home from a 10km run one morning in 2017 when she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer.
She was given five years to live after two soft drink can-sized tumours were found on her ovaries, with another the size of a banana on her liver.
She spent the next six years speaking out about her battle to spread awareness and became an ambassador for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
Ms Flynn is survived by her husband and daughters Amelia, 26, Laura, 24 and Anabel, 19, who confirmed the devastating news on Wednesday night.
Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation ambassador Leane Flynn (pictured with her daughters) died this week after a six year fight with cancer
Leane was surrounded by her husband Justin and their three daughters
‘It’s with a heavy heart that we have to share our beautiful Leane passed away yesterday surrounded by Justin and the girls,’ the heartbreaking post read.
‘There are no words to express the loss and emotions we are feeling.
‘She fought an incredibly tough battle all the way to the end and she did it with pure resilience and positivity the whole way.
‘Even through her hardest times she always continued to share her story and raise awareness for ovarian cancer.
The family vowed to keep Ms Flynn’s Instagram running to continue spreading awareness ‘so no one else has to go through what she went through.’
‘We would like to say Thankyou to everyone for the years of love and support. Your positive messages and comments always brightened her day and we are very grateful for that,’ the family wrote.
‘We will miss our Leane everyday and she’s everywhere with us.’
Just six days ago, Ms Flynn shared photos being surrounded with her best and oldest friends as she gave an update.
‘I’m maxamizing every moment. Still haven’t received confirmation about the clinical trial so my future is really up in the air. One day at a time,’ she wrote.
Leanne was told in April 2017 she had a maximum five years to live
Leane paid tribute to her husband Justin on his birthday 10 days ago and hinted that it may be the last she would be around for
She hinted of what was ahead in another recent post dedicated to her husband on his birthday.
‘The past few days have been particularly emotional and stressful but I’m still trying focus on our quality time together – even though I keep coming back to the thought that it might be our final birthday shared,’ Ms Fynn wrote.
News of Ms Flynn’s death sparked an outpouring of tributes.
‘I’m so sorry. Leane was incredible. She will always be remembered & will forever stay in so many of our hearts,’ former Miss Universe Australia Olivia Rogers wrote.
Former Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins added: You have inspired us all, your kindness and your dedication…. Sending so so so much love.’
Ms Flynn, then 49, thought she was going through menopause when she began experiencing mild bloating in November 2016.
Three months later, she began needing to urinate frequently and went to her GP before she was given the devastating heartbreaking diagnosis.
She underwent six months of chemotherapy but the cancer returned in October 2018.
She went through nine different chemotherapy treatments during her cancer fight.
She was a ‘picture of health’ and had just come home from a 10km that morning when she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer
In January 2022, Ms Flynn began planning her funeral after being told she had a week left to live.
‘The cancer had wrapped around my bowel. I had three bowel perforations. I was septic,’ she told 7news.com.au earlier this year.
‘They couldn’t control it. They sent me home in March last year to die in peace.’
She then started getting better.
‘I could hardly walk, and then one day I sort of walked around the block,’ Ms Flynn recalled
‘And the next day I (went) further and then, slowly but surely, I started getting better.’
The chemotherapy eventually stopped working and she was faced with either finding a trial or buying medications from overseas to extend her life.
Around 1720 Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year.
Just over 50 per cent of patients live beyond five years after diagnosis.
‘It’s difficult to express how much Leane meant to us all,’ OCRF wrote.
Her radiant presence lifted the mood in every room she entered. Leane’s personal warmth, storytelling ability and drive made her a force of nature in the fight against ovarian cancer. She left a lasting impact on everyone she met.
Leae Flynn candidly opened up about her cancer ordeal to spread public awareness