Renee is a busy mother of three who works in her husband’s electrical business on the Mornington Peninsula, VIC.
Renee was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 after feeling a lump while breastfeeding her third child.
While not entirely unexpected, the diagnosis hit hard, and she asked her sister, “Does that mean I only have 13-years left?”
13-years was the length of time Renee’s mum Barbara had breast cancer. Barbara was 57 when she passed away in 2010. Renee carries the BRCA2 gene, as does her younger sister Hayley. Her older sister Kara does not. Renee and Hayley have both had double mastectomies.
“Some of my friends have bucket lists in life, but my wish is simple, to be around and do what my mother couldn’t do. See the kids grow old and retire with my husband Mark.”
Renee is now in recovery mode and has finished her breast cancer treatment. By her side throughout the experience was McGrath Breast Care Nurse Jo Lovelock. They have a unique bond and have shared life’s highs for more than a decade. In a twist of fate, Jo was also Renee’s midwife and helped deliver her second child Ashton.
“You don’t forget that name! Jo Lovelock, it’s on Ashton’s birth certificate. We already had a connection which was comforting. Jo is a mother and has lived through breast cancer herself. She just gets it. She’s so knowledgeable, I’m at ease with her and can ask her anything.”
The diagnosis
Renee was a 40-year-old mum of three when she received her bi-lateral breast cancer diagnosis BRCA2 +ve, her youngest child Billie was just one. She felt a lump and some pain in her breast while breastfeeding and went for a mammogram.
In May 2019, after further testing Renee received a call from her GP asking her to come in.
“I got that sinking feeling, so I got my husband and sister Kara to come with me.”
“The doctor said it’s breast cancer, hormone positive, but it’s very treatable.”
“We were all crying, I turned to my sister and asked, “Does that mean I have 13-years left?”
Kara assured Renee that wouldn’t be the case.
The next step was to tell the kids.
“I was very honest with the kids, my son Ashton got really upset, but I was assuring them, I’ve got this, I know I can do it.”
The treatment
After her diagnosis Renee underwent a bilateral lumpectomy and SNB (sentinel lymph node biopsy).
This was followed by six months of chemotherapy.
“I’ve seen my mum do it, I’ve seen what goes on, I thought I’ve just got to do this. I want to be around for my kids.”
Renee was supported throughout by her husband Mark who attended every chemo session he could.
“My Husband just stepped up and helped with everything. There’s nothing he didn’t do.
He did the lions share with the kids, the school lunches, the drop-offs and pick-ups, and the housework.”
“We tried to keep routine as much as possible for the kids. That’s what Mums do – we don’t have time off to be sick, you have to just keep going!”
After her BRCA test came back positive, she then had a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction.
She will never forget the date, it was January 2020, the ten-year anniversary of her mum’s passing.
“My mum was watching over me, she would have been helping me.”
“It was 10.5 hours of surgery, and when I woke up everything was a blur, I remember looking straight down at my chest and thinking they were nice and perky!”
Renee had her ovaries removed in July 2020, and her final surgery was a nipple reconstruction. It was on her mum’s birthday, November 11, 2020.
“Mum was my rock! We had the best relationship. Before she died, we moved house to be closer and spend more time with her, it was the best decision I ever made.”
Renee and the relationship with her mother Barbara (Barb)
Renee’s mother Barbara was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996, aged 44. Renee was just 18 at the time.
“There was no McGrath Breast Care Nurse for Mum. Mum didn’t have the support like I did.”
“Everyone says I’m the spitting image of my mum. We were like best friends. I’d pop over to her place most days and we’d watch the Bold & the Beautiful together and have a laugh. She was just the best.”
Barb was heavily involved with Renee’s kids Ashton and Pippa before the breast cancer metastasised and she passed away in 2010 aged 57.
“It was full on, but I’m so glad she got to meet two of my kids. She was the best grandma.”
“I was bawling my eyes out and mum said to me ‘make sure you wear all my shoes and use my handbags cos they all match!’ We had the same sized feet.”
“Mum’s coffin was pink; my sisters and I all wore a black dress with a pink headband at the funeral. There was a bottle of red on top, along with some bags and shoes.”
Renee and her sisters Hayley & Kara
With a history of breast cancer in the family and following Renee’s diagnosis, her sisters Hayley and Kara were also tested for the BRCA gene.
Hayley, a mum of two, carried the gene and made the decision to have a preventative double mastectomy and reconstruction in 2020.
“It was a big shock for her, she’s really struggled. Makenzie was 7 and Oliver was 5 at the time.”
Kara was negative for the BRCA gene and felt bad telling Renee.
After their mum’s breast cancer diagnosis Kara said, “I’ve got to find a cure for this” and went to work in the breast cancer research field and has received numerous awards for her work.
Renee on McGrath Breast Care Nurse Jo Lovelock
Renee and Jo Lovelock have a unique relationship. As a midwife, Jo helped deliver Renee’s second child Ashton and spent time with him in the special care nursery looking after him.
“I remember telling Jo about my mum who was really sick at the time. Jo had also had breast cancer, so she just got it.”
In 2019 after her breast care diagnosis the pair reconnected, this time Jo was Renee’s McGrath Breast Care Nurse.
“There was definite comfort knowing how much she had cared for my son, we already had a rapport.”
Jo Lovelock was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. Like Renee’s mum Barb, Jo didn’t have access to a McGrath Breast Care Nurse, so she decided to become one herself.
With firsthand knowledge, Jo is passionate about educating her patients so they can make their own informed decisions.
“Jo is always there for me, she’s such a wonderful caring and giving human being. She’s dedicated her life to helping people going through such a crappy time and she does it with a smile. She’s always so busy yet always has time for you!”
“Here I was looking after everybody else, and Jo was there to help me look after me.”
McGrath Breast Care Nurse Jo Lovelock on Renee
Jo Lovelock supported Renee throughout her breast cancer treatment in 2019.
“I love the fact we already had a bond. We got along and things had worked well in the past, so I thought I can do a good job for her again.”
Jo played a vital role in Renee’s breast cancer care team, providing her with expert information, putting her in touch with local resources, answering questions she didn’t feel comfortable asking anybody else, being on the phone when she needed, and making sure the right referrals were being made, amongst other things.
“If I can make a difference to them, then that makes my day!”
Jo has always been impressed with the way Renee has tackled everything.
“Renee is a really capable young woman, really family focused, she’s a no fuss girl, gorgeous and just gets on with it.”
“She’s such a great role model for other women going through the same thing. She’ll give good solid advice. She’s real about her experience and tells the truth. The good, bad and the ugly.”
The support of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse is a free service, no matter where you live.
To find your nearest McGrath Breast Care Nurse, visit
McGrath Breast Care Nurse Jo Lovelock on Renee
Jo Lovelock supported Renee throughout her breast cancer treatment in 2019.
“I love the fact we already had a bond. We got along and things had worked well in the past, so I thought I can do a good job for her again.”
Jo played a vital role in Renee’s breast cancer care team, providing her with expert information, putting her in touch with local resources, answering questions she didn’t feel comfortable asking anybody else, being on the phone when she needed, and making sure the right referrals were being made, amongst other things.
“If I can make a difference to them, then that makes my day!”
Jo has always been impressed with the way Renee has tackled everything.
“Renee is a really capable young woman, really family focused, she’s a no fuss girl, gorgeous and just gets on with it.”
“She’s such a great role model for other women going through the same thing. She’ll give good solid advice. She’s real about her experience and tells the truth. The good, bad and the ugly.”
The support of a McGrath Breast Care Nurse is a free service, no matter where you live.
To find your nearest McGrath Breast Care Nurse, visit mcgrathfoundation.com.au/get-support/find-a-nurse.
