Only one of the 16-year-old twins has cancer 2023

An adolescent girl developed cancer signs after her identical twin was diagnosed in 2017.

On October 25, 2017, 16-year-old Sophie Walker was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumor, a kidney cancer, and began a four-week chemotherapy regimen.

She has had two remissions and four relapses in five years.

Her twin sister Megan, who does not have cancer, started having similar symptoms.

Megan developed stomach and back discomfort, paleness, and weight loss after Sophie was diagnosed with stomach bug-like cramping.

“When Sophie was first diagnosed, Megan had all the symptoms,” stated Edinburgh, Scotland, mother Rebecca Walker. She’s paler than her sister and often gets sick glances.

She’s been tested for everything, and she’s OK. It’s odd.”

Sophie went into remission after 27 weeks of treatment until January 2020, when a routine MRI revealed “something worrying” on her spine, her mother claimed.

Rebecca was advised by a physician that the needle placed into Sophie’s first tumor had loosened and disseminated cancer cells on her spine.

Rebecca said Sophie’s spine MRI indicated “something worrying.”

Three months after a three-week radiation session, a December 2021 recurrence, and a December 2022 remission, specialists notified Sophie she had relapsed again.

“We went to get Sophie checked out one day, and the consultant said she couldn’t feel anything there,” Rebecca recalled.

We returned the next day. The specialist said the results were “not good” and she started crying.

“Sophie saw the look on her face and just broke down, for the first time in six years.”

Rebecca asked more questions while Sophie’s dad, Jamie Walker, 44, consoled her.

She remarked, “I was told to take her away and make memories, while she’s well enough.”

Sophie’s consultant stated a team of specialists, oncologists, pediatric surgeons, and plastic surgeons will operate on her spinal tumor after the announcement.

Sophie and Megan are still dealing “deeply” with health anxiety and sadness despite this “little bit of hope”.

Megan developed many of her twin sister Sophie’s symptoms despite not having cancer.

“Megan can’t settle without Sophie,” Rebecca stated. We’re a big family, but Megan’s suffering.”

Sophie and Megan have eight siblings: James, 20, Emily, 19, Ruthie, 17, Daniel, 13, Olivia, 11, Emma, nine, Nathan, eight, and eight-month-old Evan.

“While the older ones are looking after the younger ones in the house, Megan will stay in the hospital by Sophie’s side, sometimes until 3am,” Rebecca said.

“She won’t go until she says, ‘I’m weary, I want to sleep.

Mum Rebecca, James, and Lucy “Throughout Covid, she wasn’t able to see Sophie since Jamie and I were her two named visits. She struggled.

“As soon as those restrictions were slightly lifted, Megan wanted to see Sophie again.”

Megan underwent a “head-to-toe” MRI when Sophie relapsed in January.

“Nothing showed up, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her,” Rebecca said.

“Consultants say it’s merely a ‘twin thing’—which I find weird. I’ve never heard of identical twins becoming sick together when one isn’t unwell.”

After surgery in Scotland on an unspecified date, the Walker family started a GoFundMe for proton treatment in New York.