Olivia was 33, a mum-of-three and married to her high school sweetheart. Then she found out her bad ‘stomach ache’ was something else entirely: ‘The worst day of our lives’

By William On Jun 21, 2024

High school sweethearts Olivia and Josh Renga welcomed their twin daughters 18 months ago and are thriving as a young family.

But in mid-January their world was turned upside down when Olivia was diagnosed with a ‘rare and aggressive’ terminal cancer at the age of 33.

The mother of three received the tragic news that her liver was riddled with neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma. The cancer is considered “rare” because it is typically found in the lungs and not the liver.

Fast forward five and a half months and the couple, from Ballarat, are ‘hoping for a miracle’ as Olivia undergoes chemotherapy treatment.

Josh told FEMAIL that the couple is taking it ‘one day at a time’ and trying to stay positive during the challenging ordeal.

Olivia Renga (pictured with her husband Josh and their three daughters) was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in mid-January

The cancer is considered “rare” because it is typically found in the lungs and not the liver

Olivia started experiencing nausea and abdominal pain at the end of November last year, which was initially ‘nothing to worry about’.

But on Christmas Eve, she collapsed from sudden and extreme pain and was bedridden for the rest of the day.

Since it was the holidays, no clinics or pharmacies were open, so Olivia had to endure the pain for a few days before finally going to the doctor.

There were no signs of anything sinister in the test results, and her symptoms were not considered serious because she has no family history of liver cancer.

Luckily, Olivia sought a second opinion from another GP who ‘didn’t feel confident’ in sending her home despite seeing the test results.

“We had a family holiday to Queensland booked for the following week – it was going to be our first big trip together as a small family – but Olivia was sent to A&E to have the property tested,” Josh recalls.

Doctors then performed a biopsy for further examination.

Olivia was in hospital for a week, the family holiday was canceled and the couple had no results for another week.

Luckily, Olivia sought a second opinion from another GP who ‘didn’t feel confident’ in sending her home despite seeing the test results

Josh, who runs his own business, recalled Olivia visiting him at work to share the dreaded news after visiting the doctor.

‘It was the worst day of our lives. It all happened so quickly in the span of a month. “We were both crying and distraught,” he said.

“Neither of us thought it would be this. It was all such a shock. Then we went together to the oncologist’s appointment.

‘I didn’t want to believe it was true – and still don’t want to believe it was true. It still doesn’t feel real. It was very difficult to process and something we did not expect at all,” he said.

Doctors found one main tumor and several smaller tumors in Olivia’s liver. Her specific cancer is “hard to stop” and chemotherapy only works for a certain period of time.

Olivia started chemotherapy immediately after being diagnosed, but a month ago it stopped working effectively, so doctors switched to a different drug.

The couple met in high school and first got together when they were 16, tying the knot in 2016

Olivia started chemotherapy immediately after being diagnosed, but a month ago it stopped working effectively, so the doctors switched to a different drug

The couple started seeing each other when they were 16, married in 2016 and had their first daughter, Neve, four years ago.

Now they struggle with the thought that Olivia may not win her battle with cancer, leaving Josh a single father.

Doctors cannot accurately predict how much time Olivia has left. It may take weeks or years as it varies from case to case.

She spends as much time as possible at home with her children and Josh, but goes to the hospital when necessary.

‘We want to do things as a family as much as possible. Life is very different than it was six months ago,” Josh said.

‘I hope for a miracle every day. It burns me inside to think about what our future could look like.

‘Especially with our girls. They need their mother, they need her at their weddings, every Mother’s Day… we just don’t know what’s going to happen and the unknown is very difficult to deal with.”

‘I hope for a miracle every day. It burns me inside to think about what our future could look like,” Josh said

Josh also shared a heartfelt message he wants all Australians to know.

‘Life is fragile, so don’t waste it. It can be very cruel at times, but you have to look on the positive side,” he said.

The couple hopes that sharing Olivia’s story will highlight how life can change in the blink of an eye 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.

What are neuroendocrine tumors?

The neuroendocrine system is a network of glands and nerve cells that make hormones and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones help control normal body functions, such as digesting food.

Neuroendocrine cells are found throughout the body, but especially in the gastrointestinal tract (including the large and small intestines), the pancreas and the lungs.

Neuroendocrine tumors (also called NET) are an unusual type of tumor that forms in these cells. The type is generally defined by where the abnormal cells come from and can range from low-grade (slow-growing) to high-grade (fast-growing).

Neuroendocrine tumors that produce extra amounts of hormones can cause certain symptoms and are called functional tumors. However, not all neuroendocrine tumors produce extra hormones (non-functional).

Source: Cancer Council