Captain Sandy Yawn Gives Promising Update on Girlfriend Leah Shafer’s Health Battle

Captain Sandy Yawn recently shared a promising update on her longtime girlfriend, Leah Shafer’s health battle. 

On July 20, 2023, Captain Yawn took to Instagram to post a few photos featuring herself, Shafer, and Dr. Kayla Griffith, the surgeon who performed Shafer’s second lumpectomy. 

Reflecting on Shafer’s past breast cancer battle, Yawn expressed her relief at being by Shafer’s “side this time,” as she had been overseas filming during Shafer’s previous surgery. 

She said, “I was so glad to be by Leah’s side this time. The last time she had the surgery I was overseas filming. We will get the pathology reports in the next couple of days.”

Captain Sandy Yawn gives a promising update on girlfriend Leah Shafer’s health battle. (Source: captainsandrayawn/Instagram)

According to Yawn’s update, Shafer caught the condition, known as “atypical lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS),” in time, and the surgery successfully removed it. 

Shafer herself elaborated on the condition in an Instagram post, explaining that it’s considered a non-invasive form of breast cancer that increases the risk of developing invasive breast cancer in the future. 

Despite the concerning diagnosis, Shafer received her pathology test results and received excellent news on July 24, 2023, when she confirmed that she was cancer-free.

“It’s the mind. Like, your mind starts to go crazy thinking, ‘What if I have it? And what will I do?’ and you start planning. And thank god, I’m totally cancer free,” said Shafer.

Taking to her Instagram, she shared her gratitude for the support and prayers she received during this challenging time. 

Her relief was palpable as she expressed her gratitude for the clear results and urged others to prioritize their health by scheduling regular checkups. 

Shafer had her initial signs of breast cancer in August 2019 when Yawn confirmed the news on Instagram stating, “Today I found out Leah has early signs of breast cancer.”

Doctors found pre-cancerous cysts in Shafer’s right breast region and had also been diagnosed with LCIS which means she has a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Fortunately, the pair received good news following her successful operation to remove pre-cancerous cysts from her right breast.

Captain Sandy Yawn and Leah Shafer’s relationship timeline

Yawn and Shafer’s journey began in March 2018 when Shafer took the initiative to send Yawn a message on Facebook. Later that same year on November 2018, they went on their first date.

In October 2019, the couple took their romance public, making it Instagram official after several months of being together. 

By September 2020, Yawn made a significant move, relocating to Colorado to be closer to Shafer. The pair launched their podcast titled Captain Sandy and Leah Rae Show on October 2022.

In February 2023, Yawn openly discussed the challenges of maintaining a long-distance relationship and how they worked through it during an interview with Us Weekly.

Despite the physical distance, their love remained steadfast, and Yawn affectionately expressed how deeply they cared for each other. 

The couple found their rhythm by planning monthly getaways, treasuring three days of undivided attention where phones were turned off, allowing them to focus entirely on each other.

Yawn said, “We need to go once a month. We need that time. We’re three-day people. So three days is perfect and that’s our goal. In those three days, it’s all about us and the phones are off, which is great.”