Renee Jones was 33 when she felt a small lump on her breast. It was in the same area as a mole she had removed six years earlier, so she labeled it as mere scar tissue and moved on with her life.
It was January 2020 and a busy time as Renee underwent IVF treatment in the hope of conceiving another child.
Despite this, she decided to go to her GP and have it checked, but put the referral for an ultrasound in a drawer and forgot about it.
“I got pregnant in February and 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 observed increase in size was due to pregnancy-related swelling – she never could have imagined that she would soon be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, just twelve weeks into her pregnancy.
Renee Jones was 33 when she felt a small lump on her breast
It was January 2020 and Renee was undergoing IVF treatment to become pregnant again
‘I let my husband feel the lump, but he didn’t think it was alarming, just scar tissue from the birthmark.
“My mom told me to get it checked again, and this time I had the ultrasound done,” she said.
Renee had to jump through several administrative loopholes since this was the beginning of the pandemic, but was able to get it done quickly.
She was then referred to a breast surgeon who also had no concerns about the lump.
“It’s probably nothing, but we’ll take it away anyway,” he had told Renee.
That’s why the young mother was stunned when her doctor called her a few days later with the biopsy results and revealed that it was positive for cancer.
The doctors found a 3.4 cm 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 growing inside me.’
The mother recalled being “terrified” but wanting 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 mother? It’s terrible what a child has to go through.
‘For the first few weeks I burst into tears every time I looked at Eden. I just didn’t know what to do. All I wanted was to make it to her first day of school.”
The mother was ‘terrified’ about her diagnosis, but wanted to put on a brave face
The family tried to involve the toddler as much as possible and did not lie or hide anything from the child.
Renee’s husband, Trevor, and her brother also shaved their heads when Renee was scheduled to begin treatment.
“It was also the case that one day my daughter saw me coming home bald and panicked,” she said.
When it came to possible treatment options, the doctor told Renee to undergo chemotherapy and radiation.
“I thought we had to terminate the pregnancy,” she said. ‘It was a very difficult few hours to make that decision.
‘I have very severe endometriosis, which is why we had to go the IVF route with children. But the doctor told us it was fine: I could undergo chemotherapy during pregnancy.
‘My care team already consisted of a breast nurse, an oncologist and a few other doctors.’
Renee’s treatment regimen put her through 16 rounds of chemotherapy.
The hospital normally had several healthcare services – such as a wellness area and a café – but these were closed due to the pandemic and social distancing laws.
Renee’s mother took her to chemo and then sat in the car and waited for her because she wasn’t allowed in.
She finished her last treatment at 36 weeks pregnant and gave birth four days later.
Renee completed her last treatment at 36 weeks pregnant and gave birth four days later
It was a lonely experience, especially considering how disconnected from the world Renee felt at that moment.
“My friends and family were there for me as much as they could – 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’ve been through and what dealing with my cancer is really like.
“I think in a way it’s a good thing that it happened because of COVID. My immune system was very weak, so I probably wouldn’t have been able to handle all those extra germs.”
Renee was dealing with several pregnancy and chemotherapy side effects at the same time and struggled with symptoms of morning sickness and fatigue.
Despite her cautious health status, Renee’s family is still reeling from the trauma of her diagnosis and treatment
Renee underwent one month of radiation after her sixteen rounds of chemotherapy, and then another twelve months of oral chemo.
The mother suffered from neuropathy in her fingers, constant diarrhea, dry mouth and sensitive skin.
She had to take several breaks from her treatment because the side effects were too severe.
“I did my best to be positive,” she said. ‘I haven’t spent a single day lying in bed or crying about my life.
‘Every day I was watching movies or playing games with my Eden – just spending as much time with her as possible.
“I really think my reactions also influenced how everyone else saw the cancer.”
The mother now receives a mammogram every year and an ultrasound every three months
Despite her cautious health status, Renee’s family is still reeling from the trauma of her diagnosis and treatment.
The mother revealed that although it didn’t affect her daughter much at the time, she has since grown up and is concerned about her mother’s health.
“When I have to go to the hospital or have a doctor’s appointment, Eden gets very stressed,” Renee said.
‘She’s very smart and excited, she knew I was sick. But we never talked about death or dying, we wanted to keep it as positive for her as possible.’
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 receives a mammogram every year and an ultrasound every three months.
“Sometimes I feel a bump on my body and then it all comes back,” she said. ‘I thought there was another lump on my breast, and then something under my arm.
“But I’m blessed: I’m currently cancer-free.”