17-year-old daughter and mother were suffering from cancer at the same time

Musculoskeletal and breast cancer: 17-year-old woman and her mother become ill almost simultaneously
In Australia, a 17-year-old girl and her mother were diagnosed with breast cancer almost at the same time. The daughter received the bad news first. The two women have been taking care of each other ever since and can strengthen each other by understanding the disease.
Daughter receives cancer diagnosis first
In Australia, a daughter and her mother almost died of cancer at the same time. The Brisbane Times reports on the truly extraordinary case: Queensland-born 17-year-old Bethany was the first to be diagnosed. Breast cancer was detected during an ultrasound scan. Years before, her family doctor had discovered a lump in her breast, but she did not need to worry about it, according to the doctor. Five days before her 18th birthday, the knot was removed from her chest. Weeks later, she was asked to go to a clinic in Brisbane for further tests. There, a rare form of muscle cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma was found.

At the same time cancer: shock for mother and daughter. Image: yanlev - fotolia

Two strong women support each other
Her mother Mybritt was fully at her side. But only three months after Bethany began her chemotherapy, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. To the Brisbane Times, the daughter said she first asked her mother, "Why are you trying to steal the show? I'm the one who has cancer, not you! "The two women could laugh together. They quickly learned to deal with the disease and support each other. Bethany explained, "If Mom is sick, I'll take care of her, and if I'm sick, she'll look after me."

Mother and daughter soon have therapy behind them
Mother and daughter coordinated their plans for chemotherapy. Bethany shaved her hair and her mother was soon hairless. As the two told the newspaper, they can gain strength through mutual understanding of the disease. By now they have almost finished their chemo. Nevertheless, they are not considered healed. Rhabdomyosarcomas can recur at the original site years after treatment. And even breast cancer can come back after a therapy.

Certain gene increases breast cancer risk
That the daughters of women with breast cancer also suffer from this form of cancer, is not so rare. This also has to do with the so-called breast cancer risk BRCA-1. The genetic risk of developing breast cancer became a hot topic worldwide, as Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie precautionarily amputated both breasts in 2013. The star had an increased familial cancer risk. After the case became public knowledge, countless women in many countries around the world have been checked for breast cancer predisposition. At the time, health experts spoke of a "Angelina Jolie effect".
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