The remarkable story of the couple who are BOTH fighting breast cancer… and the very different ways they’ve coped with their diagnosis

0
466

Had things gone as planned, Karen Johnson and fiance Steve Rymond would now be enjoying a post-holiday glow after a Caribbean cruise and finalising plans for their wedding next year.

Instead, they are supporting each other through a very different experience. For in a cruel twist of fate, earlier this year, the couple from Solihull, in the West Midlands, were diagnosed with cancer within months of each other. More extraordinary still, they were both diagnosed with breast cancer.

But, in fact, it may not be so extraordinary after all: couples who have been together for a long time — in Karen and Steve’s case, for 17 years — can be prone to the same diseases, says Dr Annie Hinchliff, a chartered psychologist at the Carmenta Life clinic in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire.

‘There may be a lifestyle element — their age, what they eat, how they respond to stress and to life. It’s heard of in older couples in particular,’ she says. ‘I have seen it happen: one is diagnosed with a condition and the other is soon afterwards.’

81f66c2fd559f2db98863f9cf6d0439c The remarkable story of the couple who are BOTH fighting breast cancer... and the very different ways they've coped with their diagnosis

- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->

1 of 5

LEAVE A REPLY