It Was More Than A Lump

Renee’s Relentless Fight Through Stage 4 Melanoma

By Amanda Wright

When Renee Fenech felt a pea-sized lump in her upper arm in late 2023, she didn’t panic—but her instincts whispered that something wasn’t right. For months, she’d battled constant headaches while working full time in childcare, pushing through each day with little relief.

“I was told many opinions of what could be troubling my headaches,” she later recalled.

“Neck out, teeth grinding… but Panadol was not helping and my instincts knew something was wrong.”

A doctor initially dismissed the lump as “just a fatty tissue” that would grow. But it did grow, visibly and rapidly, and when another lump emerged in the same arm, Renee pushed for further tests. What followed was a diagnosis that shattered the life she knew: Stage 4 metastatic melanoma. The cancer had spread throughout her body, including her brain.

“I was sent to have a PET scan immediately that found I had metastatic melanomas all throughout my body,” Renee said.

“Meaning I had cancer and a tumour in my brain causing all that built-up pressure I had been experiencing.”

She was immediately admitted to Mackay Base Hospital, before being flown to Townsville for urgent neurosurgery. A large tumour was removed from the left side of her brain. But the operation was only the beginning.

In the weeks that followed, Renee's world unravelled. Her bipolar disorder, already a quiet companion, became unmanageable after the surgery. “My brain was unstable with my bipolar disorder distorting my thought process,” she said.

“I spent my 41st birthday there and celebrated with new friendships formed during my stay.”

For Renee, this was the culmination of a cancer journey that began years earlier. In 2016, she booked into a free mole check at her GP and underwent a biopsy for a suspicious spot on her right forearm.

“It would always start to bleed when scraped past things,” she said. The pathology confirmed it was a nodular melanoma, classified as Level 3 and malignant.

That discovery led to years of vigilance. Another melanoma was removed from her lower back in 2018, followed by one on her right shin in 2020. But each time, she healed, returned to work, and pushed on.

Until now.

The diagnosis of advanced cancer has completely upended her life. Renee now struggles to walk and has had to put her beloved childcare career on hold. Her treatments, four rounds of immunotherapy spaced three weeks apart, resulted in repeated hospitalisations due to severe side effects.

She also underwent Gamma Knife radiation therapy in Brisbane, only to experience another health collapse.

“I spent four weeks in hospital; one lung collapse, liver and pancreatitis affected which led into diabetes,” Renee said.

“It took six months to recover from that before I could start immunotherapy again.”

Through it all, one constant has remained: her mother. She has been her daughter’s carer, companion, and fierce advocate, visiting her daily in hospital, even when it meant relying on public transport. The shift in roles has been monumental, but unwavering.

“I would also like to say many thanks to the Trudy Crowley Foundation for their support to myself and my carer (mother),” Renee said.

“For their friendship and expert advice. And their friendly, open centre to allow people together fighting cancer to talk about their ways of dealing and coping in everyday situations and treatments.”

The Foundation’s fortnightly support groups have been one of the few places where Renee and her mum can catch their breath and talk honestly with people who understand. In a battle filled with unknowns, the comfort of community has become essential.

Theirs is a story not just of cancer, but of quiet endurance. A mother who shows up, every day. A daughter who fights to hold on to hope. And a disease that demands everything, yet still meets defiance.

Despite her setbacks, Renee is determined to one day return to the work she loves.

For now, she’s focused on recovery, on learning to walk again, gaining strength, and navigating a new world where even a short trip can be exhausting. But in sharing her story, she hopes others will listen to their own instincts and never stop asking questions.

“No one is ever really prepared for something like this,” she said.

“But I knew something wasn’t right, and I’m so glad I kept pushing.”

As May marks Melanoma Awareness Month, Renee hopes her story serves as a wake-up call for others to take their health seriously. Her journey has shown just how aggressive melanoma can be—and how crucial it is to act early.

She’s encouraging people to be vigilant: book regular skin checks, trust your gut when something doesn’t feel right, and push for answers if symptoms persist.

“If my story helps someone else catch it sooner, then something good can come from all of this,” she said.

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Renee (right) and her mum Trish at the Trudy Crowley Foundation, where they regularly attend support sessions. Renee’s immunotherapy is now in maintenance mode with monthly treatment and fortnightly blood tests. Photo credit: Amanda Wright

The scars left behind after Renee underwent brain surgery to remove one of the tumours, part of a life-saving operation in her fight against Stage 4 metastatic melanoma. Photo supplied

The radiation therapy brace Renee wore during targeted treatment on the remaining brain tumour was a confronting but necessary part of her complex cancer journey. Photo supplied

Renee receiving immunotherapy via drip during one of her many hospital stays. The treatment has come with serious side effects, but it remains a vital tool in her recovery. Photo supplied

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