Help our beautiful Renee fight her second battle with cancer

Hi everyone,

My name is Renee Cohen and I’m reaching out to ask for your help for someone incredibly close to my heart – my best friend, Renee Buckingham.

Renee is a single mum to her beautiful 11-year-old son, Finn. She’s one of those people who gives without ever asking for anything in return. She works full-time in a high pressure profession, is a highly engaged mum and volunteers as a coach for Gold Coast basketball wanting to share her knowledge with players of her son's age who she understands so well. Despite being time poor, helping others makes Renee's heart sing, whether it's Leagueability training or helping me in the community, Renee has a genuine love for people, and her interest in everyone's story makes those she meets feel special.Over the years, she’s been drawn to not-for-profit roles having worked with LifeFlight, Titans Together, and countless community programs – always putting others first.

Four years ago, Renee quietly and bravely fought Endometrial cancer. She faced it with her trademark sense of humour, still showing up for Finn, her team at her workplace and the ten young boys who relied on her instruction every week on the basketball court. It was a lot for a working mother who was being knocked around by chemotherapy but Renee wasn't having it any other way.

Now, heartbreakingly, the aggressive endometrial cancer cells have returned but in her spleen.

She recently underwent urgent surgery and has now commenced 12 weeks of chemotherapy. The road ahead is long and incredibly tough. Due to the intensity of this second round of cancer treatment in under five years, Renee is being forced to step back from full time work – and put every bit of energy into fighting this cancer once and for all and with that comes enormous financial pressure.

She’s now facing:

* Mounting medical bills

* Ongoing mortgage repayments

* Everyday living costs while raising Finn – all while undergoing the physical and emotional toll of treatment

We’re raising funds to ease that pressure – so Renee can focus on healing, and Finn can have the stability of staying in their home and the support he needs during this incredibly uncertain time.

Every donation, big or small, will go directly towards:

* Medical expenses not covered by Medicare

* Mortgage and essential living costs

* Fuel, groceries, and support for Finn

* Giving Renee space to breathe – without the fear of losing her home

If you know Renee, you’ll know she’s the first to lend a hand, offer a meal, or lift someone else up. Now, it’s our turn to lift her.

Please donate if you can. Let’s wrap Renee and Finn in the love and support they so deeply deserve.

With respect to Renee’s wishes and how she is managing this challenging news with Finn, please do not share this publicly on social media.

With love and gratitude,

Renee Cohen

(on behalf of Team Renee B )