Daughter’s inspiring journey

THE daughter of Australias first female recipient of a neo-bladder will travel to Vietnam in November to raise awareness of the plight of cancer sufferers across Australia.

19-year-old Renee Young and her two brothers were forced to make a life-changing journey after their mother was diagnosed with bladder cancer last year.

The former Kiama High School dux has now turned the harrowing experience into a positive one for herself, her family and others battling cancer by embarking on an ambitious fundraising venture for cancer research.

She plans to take part in a two-week NSW Cancer Council-led trek through a remote area of Vietnam with other cancer survivors and carers.

It (mums cancer) opened my eyes to the world and taught me that life is short and precious, so take advantage of it while you can, said Renee.

Its given me an inner focus and shown me that if you can get through cancer you can conquer anything really.

Renees mother, Fran, was diagnosed with cancer on her 43rd birthday in June last year.

After a series of chemotherapy treatments and the removal of her lymph glands, she was faced with the option of life with an external drainage bag or a nine-hour operation to build a neo-bladder.

A neo-bladder is made from a patients own cells and tissue. In adults, doctors use existing colon and intestine material to construct the new organ.

It was a fast-growing tumour. By the time they got it out it, the tumour had consumed my whole bladder, said Fran.

After two weeks of careful consideration, Fran decided to undergo the ground-breaking surgery.

In America, the worlds first recipients of neo-bladders made headlines in April this year after doctors publicly marked the first stage of their long-term success.

The seven young children who had been born with birth defects that resulted in damaged bladders - are reportedly healthy and their created organs continue to be fully functional.

For Fran, the future is also bright. Several months on, her new bladder is working perfectly a different story from 12 months ago.

Renee says when she first learned of her mothers cancer the news felt surreal.

You know cancer is out there but you never know when and if it will hit you or your family and when it did it took a while to come to terms with it, to accept it, she said.

The hardest part, she says, was watching her mother undergo chemotherapy.

That really shocked me, it was like, wow, she has cancer.

Shed be sick for days and there was nothing you could do feeling helpless was the hardest part, you just have to wait for them to get better.

For the single parent family, it was surely the longest wait of their young lives.

She wouldnt eat for like seven days straight and we just thought, is she ever going to get any better? recalls Renee.

The ownership fell back onto me and my brothers to get by she had always been there for us so it was hard not having her around.

Renee needs to raise around $6500 to take part in the Vietnam trek and is now busy planning a fundraising coastline walkathon in Kiama.

I want to try and get people from all over to take part so that its also a chance to promote beautiful Kiama at the same time, she said.

Renees efforts have so far been boosted by a $1700 donation by the Kiama Lions Club Youth Assist scheme.