Home Australia Identical twin of teenager with rare form of cancer says she gets the same pain as her sister – but is completely healthy

Identical twin of teenager with rare form of cancer says she gets the same pain as her sister – but is completely healthy

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Sophie Walker (LEFT), 17, was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer, in October 2017.

The twin of a teenager with a rare form of cancer has revealed how she suffers the same pain as her sick sister, despite being completely healthy.

Sophie Walker, 17, was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer, in October 2017.

Interestingly, her twin sister Megan also suffered from similar symptoms, including back pain in the same location as Sophie’s tumour, despite not having the disease.

Since then, Sophie has been given the all-clear three times, but the cancer has always returned.

Now the NHS has said they cannot offer any more treatments and there are currently no clinical trials you can access.

Sophie Walker (LEFT), 17, was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer, in October 2017.

Sophie Walker (LEFT), 17, was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer, in October 2017.

Interestingly, her twin sister Megan (RIGHT) also suffered similar symptoms, including back pain in the same location as Sophie's tumour, despite not having the disease.

Interestingly, her twin sister Megan (RIGHT) also suffered similar symptoms, including back pain in the same location as Sophie's tumour, despite not having the disease.

Interestingly, her twin sister Megan (RIGHT) also suffered similar symptoms, including back pain in the same location as Sophie’s tumour, despite not having the disease.

Her parents Rebecca, 44, and Jamie Walker, 45, along with Sophie’s nine siblings, are fundraising for innovative treatment abroad.

Rebecca, who runs a hostel with her husband Jamie, from Edinburgh, Scotland, said: “Looking at Sophie and Megan, they are so close they are almost in sync, it’s like one person split in two.”

‘How could Megan have a life without Sophie? We are not only worried about Sophie but also about Megan.

‘Treatment in Germany costs £4,000 per tumour, so for both tumors plus costs it is £10,000 per month; then your high dose vitamin C costs £2,000, so we’re looking at £13,000 a month on treatments alone.

“We have enough to go back to Germany maybe one more time, I’m worried we won’t be able to raise the funds.”

Sophie's parents Rebecca, 44, and Jamie Walker, 45, along with Sophie's nine siblings, are fundraising for ground-breaking treatment abroad.

Sophie's parents Rebecca, 44, and Jamie Walker, 45, along with Sophie's nine siblings, are fundraising for ground-breaking treatment abroad.

Sophie’s parents Rebecca, 44, and Jamie Walker, 45, along with Sophie’s nine siblings, are fundraising for ground-breaking treatment abroad.

What is a Wilms tumor?

A form of kidney cancer that affects around 70 children in the UK each year.

It develops most frequently in children under five years of age.

Wilms tumors, also known as nephroblastomas, begin to develop when the baby is still growing inside its mother.

However, it may not cause any symptoms until a few years after the child is born.

They are most common in children under five years old, but can appear in older children and adults on rare occasions.

Wilms tumors usually affect only one kidney (unilateral), but in about seven out of every 100 children it can affect both (bilateral).

Most Wilms tumors are quite large when found, very often much larger than the kidney itself.

Fortunately, most of them have not spread to other parts of the body.

The most common symptom is swelling in the abdomen, which is usually painless.

Sometimes the tumor may bleed slightly and this can cause irritation in the kidney area, which can be painful.

Children with this condition may have blood in their urine or their blood pressure may be elevated.

The child may also have fever, upset stomach, weight loss, or lack of appetite.

They hope to take Sophie to Germany for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment to shrink the tumors and then to the United States for immunotherapy, and have raised £78,000 of the £350,000 needed.

Sophie had already been to Germany once to receive the treatment, but she needs to make several trips for it to be effective.

For the last seven years, Sophie has tried every option available on the NHS and has been told there is nothing more they can do.

But a clinic in Germany has offered an innovative new treatment that delivers chemotherapy directly to the tumor through blood vessels.

And if they can shrink the tumor enough for Sophie to fly safely, the family hopes to take her to the United States for immunotherapy treatment in California.

1712341125 781 Identical twin of teenager with rare form of cancer says

1712341125 781 Identical twin of teenager with rare form of cancer says

Rebecca, who runs a hostel with her husband Jamie, from Edinburgh, Scotland, said: “Looking at Sophie and Megan, they are so close they are almost in sync – it’s like one person split into two.”

Meanwhile, Sophie and her friends visited Disneyland Paris in January and she continues to receive NHS blood and platelet transfusions which keep Sophie’s platelet levels up.

“(After the treatment in Germany) I can feel that the tumor on his back has shrunk a lot,” Rebecca said.

‘Our plan was to reduce them enough in Germany to be able to fly to the United States.

‘When the tumors were removed last year, we sent a piece to Canada.

‘It is being tested whether any medication can be used and which chemotherapies the tumor is sensitive to.

‘Once we know which immunotherapies your tumor is sensitive to, we can go to California for immunotherapy to help your body recognize tumors.

‘At Disneyland she was like any average 17-year-old girl, she’s a big Star Wars fan and bought lightsabers.

“She grew to be a normal teenager; it was so nice to see her be normal.”

Fundraising for Sophie’s treatment can be found here.

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