Two identical twin sisters have been experiencing the same cancer symptoms for almost six years - despite only one of them having the disease. Sophie Walker was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour - a type of kidney cancer - back in 2017 and began a four-week course of chemotherapy shortly after.
Her diagnosis from doctors came following stomach bug-like cramps, and bizarrely not long afterwards, twin Megan began experiencing similar symptoms.
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Over the past five-and-a-half years, Sophie, 16, has gone into remission twice. She has also relapsed four times and throughout this time Megan has been suffering many of the same symptoms - including stomach and back pain, paleness - even weight loss.
"When Sophie was first diagnosed, Megan had all the symptoms. People comment on how ill she looks all the time - she’s even paler than her sister," the girls’ mum, Rebecca Walker, said.
“Every test under the sun has been done on her, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her. It’s so bizarre.”
After an initial 27 weeks of chemotherapy, Sophie went into remission until January 2020 - when a routine MRI showed ‘something worrying’ on her spine.
A consultant informed Rebecca that her initial biopsy had seeded on her spine - meaning the needle inserted into Sophie’s initial tumour had dislodged and spread cancer cells.
Following a three-week course of radiotherapy, a relapse in December 2021 and remission in December 2022, consultants told Sophie just three months ago that she’d once again relapsed.
“I was told to take her away and make memories, while she’s well enough,” Sophie’s mother said.
When Sophie relapsed, Megan also volunteered herself for a ‘head-to-toe’ MRI scan however, Rebecca explained, “nothing showed up, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her.
“Consultants are telling me it’s just a ‘twin thing’ - which I find totally bizarre. I’ve never heard of identical twins getting sick at the same time, when one isn’t even ill herself.”
Since the news, Sophie’s consultant has said she’ll be able to have the tumour on her spine operated on - by a team of consultants, oncologists, pediatric surgeons and plastic surgeons.
Despite this ‘little bit of hope’ - Sophie is still struggling ‘deeply’ with health anxiety and depression - and Megan has been feeling the ‘exact same way’.
Their mum says that when Sophie is in hospital, Megan will often stay by her bedside until the early hours.
“She won’t leave her until she says, ‘I’m tired, I want to go to sleep.
“All throughout Covid, she wasn’t allowed to see Sophie as Jamie and I were her two named visitors. She couldn’t cope."
Rebecca, who is also mum to James, 20, Emily, 19, Ruthie, 17, Daniel, 13, Olivia, 11, Emma, nine, Nathan, eight and eight-month old Evan, added: “Megan just can’t settle if Sophie isn’t there. We have a big family and everyone looks out for each other, but Megan has been struggling hugely.
The Walker family, who live in Edinburgh, are currently running a GoFundMe to raise funds for proton therapy in New York - after receiving surgery in Scotland on a date to be confirmed.
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