Canteen lifted Renee’s spirits on her darkest days
Sisittingi iin theh emergency room of Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Renee Shaw was doubled over in agony.
The 28-year-old nursing student thought the pain in her abdomen was a stitch after a weekend hike but two days later it worsened.
Fearing appendicitis, she sought medical help. But when the CT scan returned showing a stage-three gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), a rare and aggressive cancer in her digestive system, Renee was heartbroken.
“I was shocked,” says Renee, stunned to learn that her tumour was the size of a baseball. “I was a healthy person... I was completely blindsided. I couldn’t believe it.”
With her parents Debbie and Wayne, both 59, and her sister Tamara, 29, by her side, Renee underwent months of chemotherapy.
“I had intense nausea, I lost a lot of weight and the fatigue was next level,” says Renee. She also struggled with feeling isolated, until she found Ccanteen. “I hhadd so much h support from family and friends but with Canteen I finally had a safe space to vent my feelings. I made so many friends who understood what I was going through.”
After eight months of treatment, doctors found that Renee’s tumour was resistant to chemotherapy. The only option to save her life was surgery. In April 2019, Renee had the tumour removed in an eight-hour operation.
Three years on, Renee, now cancer-free, is a qualified nurse helping others face their health battles. “I’ll never forget the nurses who would come in and just give your hand a squeeze… I want to do that for other people.”