2023-04-17 22:12:00
Two identical twin sisters share the same symptoms of kidney cancer, although only one of them actually suffers from the disease. Sophie and Megan Walker, 16, have intrigued experts in the UK.
Sophie was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumor – which accounts for about 6% of cancers in children under 15, according to the MSD Manual of Diagnosis and Treatment – in 2017, aged 10, after experiencing stomach cramps.
Since then, she has undergone a series of treatments, but has had three relapses (recurrence of the disease).
The first treatment was to combine surgery to remove the tumor with 27 weeks of chemotherapy. In April 2018, she went into remission. However, in January 2020, an MRI detected abnormalities in her spine.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the on-site surgery and the planned three weeks of radiotherapy, which were supposed to be done in April 2020, took place late. But even in the face of this, she went into remission in January 2021.
However, Sophie had the third relapse in December of the same year and underwent chemotherapy until May 2022. In November of the same year, she went into remission.
In the process, her twin sister experienced many of her symptoms, such as stomach and back pain, pallor, and weight loss.
Megan even underwent several tests and an MRI, which did not detect any signs of the disease.
“Nothing has come up, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her. The specialists 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 one of them is not sick,” said Rebecca Walker, mother of the girls, to the British tabloid Daily Mail.
She adds that, “When Sophie was first diagnosed, Megan had all the symptoms. People comment all the time how sick she looks – she’s even paler than her sister.”
Experts suggest that the strong empathy that twins, and siblings in general, have for each other could explain these physical reactions, but nothing has been proven.
Currently, Sophie is under palliative care after a standard medical assessment (done in December last year) showed significant damage from the disease.
“We went in for a check-up on Sophie one day and the next day we were called back. All the doctor could say was that the results were ‘not good’ – and she started crying,” recalled Rebecca.
According to the girls’ mother, all the doctor could say was to “take her away and make memories while she’s well enough.”
The family is still struggling to find another treatment option.
They found a team of surgeons willing to remove Sophie’s tumor, but it’s still not a cure. Meanwhile, the teenager doesn’t stop fighting.
Today, she has to deal with anxiety and depression while fighting the disease.
According to the mother, her twin sister has been through everything with her and has felt “exactly the same way”.
“Megan just can’t handle things if Sophie isn’t there. We have a big family [são dez irmãos]and everyone looks out for each other, but Megan has struggled a lot,” Rebecca reported.
The twin sister has been responsible for the trips to the hospital.
“While the older ones take care of the younger ones at home, Megan stays at the hospital next to Sophie, sometimes until three in the morning”, recalls her mother.
The Walker family also has a virtual crowdfunding open on the platform to raise funds for possible treatments that Sophie may need in addition to surgery.
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