An Australian mother of three who was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in mid-January has died at the age of 33.
Olivia Renga passed away on June 27, leaving behind her young daughters Neve, Wilkie and Elliot and her high school sweetheart Josh.
Olivia is remembered as a “beautiful soul” and “a true angel who went way too soon.”
Her body was found to be affected by neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma, considered “rare and aggressive” because it is usually found in the lungs and not the liver.
The Ballarat couple ‘hoped for a miracle’ while Olivia underwent chemotherapy, but unfortunately the worst happened – Josh was left as a single father.
Josh told FEMAIL that he is devastated by the loss of his beloved wife.
The couple first started dating when they were 16, married in 2016 and had their first daughter, Neve, four years ago.
“We are devastated and trying to cope with it as best we can,” he said.
Olivia Renga (pictured with her husband Josh and their three daughters) was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in mid-January and died less than six months later
Before her diagnosis, Olivia had been experiencing nausea and abdominal discomfort in late November last year, but at first it seemed ‘nothing to worry about’.
But on Christmas Eve she suddenly collapsed from severe pain and had to stay in bed for the rest of the day.
Since it was the holidays, there were no clinics or pharmacies open, so Olivia had to endure a few days before she could finally see a GP.
There was no evidence of anything dangerous in the test results and her symptoms were not considered serious because there was no history of liver cancer in her family.
Olivia sought a second opinion from another GP, who was ‘not confident’ about sending her home despite having seen the test results.
“We had a family holiday booked to Queensland for the following week. It was going to be our first big trip together as a small family. But Olivia was sent to the emergency room to get tested,” Josh recalls.
Olivia sought a second opinion from another GP who had ‘no confidence’ in sending her home despite having seen the test results
Doctors then performed a biopsy for further examination.
Olivia spent a week in the hospital, the family vacation was canceled and the couple needed another week to know the results.
Josh, who runs his own business, remembers Olivia visiting him at work to tell him the terrible news after she had been to the doctor.
“It all happened so quickly over the course of a month. We were both crying and upset,” he said.
‘Neither of us thought it would be this. It was all such a shock. Then we went to the oncologist appointment together.’
Doctors found one main tumor and several smaller tumors in Olivia’s liver. Her particular cancer was “hard to stop” and chemotherapy only worked for a certain amount of time.
She started chemotherapy immediately after she was diagnosed, but a month ago it stopped working properly, so the doctors switched her to another drug, but without success.
Doctors could not accurately predict how much time Olivia had left.
The couple met in high school and first got together when they were 16. They got married in 2016.
Josh also shared a heartfelt message that he wants all Australians to know. “Life is fragile, so don’t waste it. It can be really cruel sometimes, but you have to keep going and look at the bright side,” he said.
The family spent as much time together at home as possible, but Olivia went to the hospital when necessary.
“Life is very different than it was six months ago,” Josh said earlier.
‘I hope for a miracle every day. It burns inside me when I think of what our future could look like.
“Especially with our girls. They need their mom, they need her at their weddings, every Mother’s Day… we just don’t know what’s going to happen and the unknown is really hard to deal with.”
Sadly, his worst fear has now come true.
Josh also shared a heartfelt message he wants to pass on to all Australians.
“Life is fragile, so don’t waste it. It can be really cruel sometimes, but you have to keep going and look at the bright side,” he said.
The couple hoped that by sharing Olivia’s story they would show that life can change in an instant and that no one is immune to cancer.
“A positive mindset is the best tool you can have. It’s the only thing you can control,” Josh added.
If you would like to contribute to Olivia’s GoFundMe, Click here.