Renee Jones was 33 years old when she felt a small lump in her chest. It was in the same area as a mole she had had removed six years earlier, so she classified it as simple scar tissue and moved on with her life.
It was January 2020 and a busy time as Renee was undergoing IVF treatment in hopes of becoming pregnant with another child.
Despite that, he decided to go to his GP for a check-up, only to put the referral for an ultrasound in a drawer and forget about it.
“I got pregnant in February and I was over the moon,” Renee told FEMAIL. “I forgot about the lump until April, when I noticed it had gotten bigger.”
Even then, Renee’s first thought was that the perceived increase in size was due to pregnancy-related swelling; She would never have imagined that she would soon be diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy.
Renee Jones was 33 years old when she felt a small lump in her breast.
It was January 2020 and Renee was undergoing IVF treatment to get pregnant again.
“I asked my husband to feel the lump, but he didn’t think it was anything alarming – just scar tissue from the mole.”
“My mom told me to get it checked again anyway, and I actually went ahead with the ultrasound this time,” he said.
Renee had to navigate several administrative loopholes considering it was the beginning of the pandemic, but she was soon able to make it through.
She was then referred to a breast surgeon, who was also not concerned about the lump.
“It’s probably nothing, but we’ll take it out anyway,” he had told Renee.
That’s why the young mother was stunned when her doctor called her with the biopsy results a few days later and revealed that she had tested positive for cancer.
Doctors found a 3.4cm tumor with stage two, grade three cancer.
“My heart was in my mouth,” Renee said. “I didn’t know how to feel or what to do; all I could think about was my two-year-old daughter and the life I had growing inside me.”
The mother recalled being “terrified” but wanted to put on a brave face for her family.
‘I kept thinking, Oh my God, how is my daughter going to grow up without a mom? It’s a horrible thing for a child to go through.
‘For the first few weeks, I burst into tears every time I looked at Eden. She just didn’t know what to do. ‘All she wanted to do was get to her first day of school.’
The mother was “terrified” by her diagnosis, but wanted to put on a brave face
The family tried to include the child as much as possible and did not lie to him or hide anything from him.
Renee’s husband, Trevor, and her brother also shaved their heads when Renee had to start treatment.
“It was also so my daughter wouldn’t see me come home bald one day and freak out,” she said.
When it came to possible treatment options, the doctor told Renee that she would have to undergo chemotherapy and radiation.
“I thought we would have to terminate the pregnancy,” she said. “It was a very difficult few hours sitting with that decision.
‘I have very severe endometriosis, which is why we had to opt for the IVF route with the children. But the doctor told us it was fine: she could receive chemotherapy during pregnancy.
“My care team already consisted of a breast nurse, an oncologist, and several other doctors.”
Renee’s treatment program included her undergoing 16 rounds of chemotherapy.
The hospital used to have several care services, such as a wellness room and a cafeteria, but they were closed due to the pandemic and social distancing laws.
Renee’s mother would take her to receive chemotherapy and then sit in the car and wait for her, because she wasn’t allowed in.
She finished her last treatment at 36 weeks pregnant and gave birth four days later.
Renée finished her last treatment at 36 weeks pregnant and gave birth four days later.
The experience was lonely, especially considering how isolated Renee felt from the world at the time.
“My friends and family were there to help me as much as possible – we had Zoom tea parties and regular phone check-ins,” she said.
‘But it wasn’t the same. I still feel like they have no idea what I went through and what it was really like to deal with my cancer.
‘I guess in some ways it’s good that it happened with COVID. My immune system was very weak, so I probably couldn’t have afforded so many extra germs.’
Renee suffered several side effects from pregnancy and chemotherapy simultaneously, battling symptoms of morning sickness and fatigue.
Despite her provisional health status, Renee’s family is still recovering from the trauma of her diagnosis and treatment.
Renee received a month of radiation after her 16 rounds of chemotherapy and then oral chemotherapy for another 12 months.
The mother struggled with neuropathy in her fingers, constant diarrhea, dry mouth and sensitive skin.
He had to take several breaks in his treatment because the side effects were too severe.
“I tried my best to be positive,” she said. ‘I didn’t spend a single day in bed or crying for my life.
‘Every day, I was up with my Eden watching movies or playing games, just spending as much time with her as possible.
“I really think my reactions also affected the way everyone else viewed cancer.”
The mother now has a mammogram every year and an ultrasound every three months.
Despite her provisional health status, Renee’s family is still recovering from the trauma of her diagnosis and treatment.
The mother revealed that while this didn’t affect her daughter too much at the time, she has since grown up and experiences anxiety about her mother’s health.
“If I have to go to the hospital or have a doctor’s appointment, Eden gets very stressed,” Renee said.
‘She is very intelligent and active, she knew I was sick. But we never talked about death or dying, we wanted it to be as positive as possible for her.’
Fortunately, Renee was able to take Eden, now almost six years old, to school for the first time in February 2024, fulfilling her oath from four years ago.
The mother now has a mammogram every year and an ultrasound every three months.
“Sometimes I feel a blow to my body and everything falls back,” he said. ‘I thought there was another lump on my chest and then something under my arm.
“But I’ve been blessed: I’m cancer-free for now.”