EXCLUSIVEI felt a tiny lump on my breast after I had a mole removed. I thought it was 'scar tissue' until my ultrasound at 12 weeks pregnant...
- Renee Jones was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer at 33
- The young mum was 12 weeks pregnant at the time
- READ MORE: I've spent 21 years battling cancer after suffering a common pain
Renee Jones was 33 when she felt a small lump on her breast. It was in the same area as a mole she'd had removed six years prior, so she chalked it up as mere scar tissue and moved on with her life.
It was January 2020 and a busy time as Renee was undergoing IVF treatment in the hopes of becoming pregnant with another child.
Despite that, she decided to go to her GP and get it checked - only to put the referral for an ultrasound in a drawer and forget 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 the perceived increase in size was due to pregnancy-related swelling - she never would've guessed she was soon to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer just 12 weeks into her gestation.
Renee Jones was 33 when she felt a small lump on her breast
It was January 2020 and Renee was undergoing IVF treatment to get pregnant again
'I got my husband to feel the lump but he didn't think it was anything alarming - just scar tissue from the mole.
'My mum told me to get it checked again anyway, and I actually followed up with the ultrasound this time,' she said.
Renee had to jump through several administrative loopholes considering it was the start of the pandemic, but soon was able to get it done.
She was then referred to a breast surgeon who was also unconcerned about the lump.
'It's probably nothing, but we'll remove it anyway,' he had told Renee.
Which is why the young mum was stunned when her doctor called her with the biopsy results a few days later and revealed that it came back positive for cancer.
The doctors found a 3.4cm tumour 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 mum 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 mum? That's a horrific thing for a child to go through.
'For the first few weeks, I'd burst into tears every time I looked at Eden. I just didn't know what to do. All I wanted to do was make it to her first day of school.'
The mum was 'terrified' about her diagnosis but wanted to put on a brave face
The family tried to include the toddler as much as possible and didn't lie or hide anything from the child.
Renee's husband, Trevor, and her brother also shaved their heads when Renee had to start treatment.
'It was also so that my daughter didn't see me come home bald one day and freak out,' she said.
When it came to possible treatment options, the doctor told Renee she'd have to go through chemotherapy and radiation.
'I thought we'd have to terminate the pregnancy,' she said. 'It was a very difficult few hours, sitting with that decision.
'I have very severe endometriosis, it's why we had to go the IVF route with children. But the doctor told us that it was fine - I could go through chemotherapy while pregnant.
'My care team already consisted of a breast care nurse, an oncologist, and several other doctors.'
Renee's treatment schedule saw her go through 16 rounds of chemotherapy.
The hospital usually had several care services - like a wellness room and a café - but they were shut down because of the pandemic and social distancing laws.
Renee's mum would drive her to chemo and then sit in the car and wait for her, because she wasn't allowed to go inside.
She finished her last treatment at 36 weeks pregnant, and gave birth four days later.
Renee finished her last treatment at 36 weeks pregnant, and gave birth four days later
The experience was lonely, especially considering how closed off from the world Renee felt at the time.
'My friends and family were there for 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 dealing with my cancer really like.
'I suppose, in a way, it's a good thing that it happened over COVID. My immune system was very weak, so I probably couldn't have afforded all the extra germs.'
Renee suffered through several pregnancy and chemotherapy side-effects simultaneously, struggling through the symptoms of morning sickness and fatigue.
Despite her tentative clean bill of health, Renee's family is still reeling from the trauma of her diagnosis and treatment
Renee did a month of radiation after her 16 rounds of chemotherapy, and then oral chemo for another 12 months.
The mum struggled with neuropathy in her fingers, constant diarrhoea, a dry mouth, and sensitive skin.
She had to take several breaks from her 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 about my life.
'Everyday, I was up with my Eden watching movies or playing games - just spending as much time as possible with her.
'I really think that my reactions impacted how everyone else saw the cancer as well.'
The mum now gets a mammogram every year and an ultrasound every three months
Despite her tentative clean bill of health, Renee's family is still reeling from the trauma of her diagnosis and treatment.
The mum revealed that while it didn't impact her daughter too much at the time, she has since grown up and experiences anxiety around her mum's health.
'If I have to go to the hospital, or if I have a doctor's appointment, Eden gets very stressed,' Renee said.
'She's very smart and switched on, she knew that I was sick. But we never spoke about death or dying, we wanted to keep it positive for her as much as possible.'
Fortunately, Renee got 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 mum now gets a mammogram every year and an ultrasound every three months.
'I sometimes feel a bump on my body and it all comes crashing back,' she said. 'I thought there was another lump on my breast, and then something under my arm.
'But I've been blessed - I'm cancer-free for the moment.'
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