A teenage girl has ‘bizarrely’ suffered from cancer symptoms since her identical twin was diagnosed in 2017 - despite not having the disease herself. <br /><br />Sophie Walker, 16, was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour - a type of kidney cancer - on October 25 2017, and started a four-week course of chemotherapy shortly after. <br /><br />In the five years since, she has gone into remission twice - but relapsed four times. Throughout this time, her twin sister, Megan, has been experiencing many of the same symptoms. <br /><br />After Sophie was diagnosed following stomach bug-like cramps, Megan began experiencing similar symptoms - including stomach and back pain, paleness - even weight loss. <br /><br />The girls’ mum, Rebecca Walker, from Edinburgh, Scotland, said: “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.<br /><br />“Every test under the sun has been done on her, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with her. It’s so bizarre.”<br /><br />After an initial 27 weeks of chemotherapy, Sophie went into remission until January 2020 - when a routine MRI showed ‘something worrying’ on her spine. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />Rebecca said: “We went to get Sophie checked out one day, and were told by the consultant she couldn’t feel anything there.<br /><br />“But by the following day, we were called back in. All the consultant could say was that the results were ‘not good’ - and she started to cry. <br /><br />“Sophie saw the look on her face and just broke down, for the first time in six years.”<br /><br />Sophie’s dad, Jamie Walker, 44, left the room with Sophie to console her - meanwhile Rebecca stayed with the consultant to ask further questions. <br /><br />She said: “I was told to take her away and make memories, while she’s well enough.”<br />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.<br /><br />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’. <br /><br />Rebecca said: “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.”<br /><br />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. <br /><br />“While the older ones are looking after the younger ones in the house, Megan will stay in hospital by Sophie’s side, sometimes until 3am,” Rebecca added.<br /><br />“She won’t leave her until she says, ‘I’m tired, I want to go to sleep.
