ASTONISHING STORY OF Identical twins... identical cancer in the eyes

IDENTICAL twins Isla and Grace Devine have both beaten a rare form of deadly eye cancer after a gruelling battle.

The sisters were diagnosed with the killer disease when they were only one year old.

And although Grace lost an eye during their fight for life, both have come out the other side smiling.

Mum Laura, 25, said: “It was such an unlucky thing that both the twins had eye cancer but we feel incredibly lucky to be in this position now.

“It’s incredible to see what they have been through.”

Laura and partner Alan, 38, had been overjoyed when she discovered she was pregnant with the twins.

She said: “I’m a twin myself but I never imagined I’d get pregnant with twins.

“When there were two heartbeats on the scan it was such a surprise. I’d always thought twins skipped a generation.

“But not these two. My two little babies were in there, defying the odds.”

Laura added: “I’d been worried because I’d had a miscarriage and became pregnant quickly afterwards.

“So I’d gone for a scan to make sure everything was all right.”

Laura’s pregnancy went smoothly and she had 6lb 2oz Isla and 5lb 11oz Grace in hospital near her home in Morpeth, Northumberland, in December 2011.

She said: “It was amazing when they were born.

Stunned

“I held them in my arms and they seemed just perfect. We were thrilled.”

But as the twins celebrated their first birthday, Laura took a photo and noticed Grace’s left eye was slightly off-kilter.

She told her health visitor and the tot was referred to the ophthalmology department at their local hospital – who sent her for more tests at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Laura said: “I knew something wasn’t quite right with Grace’s eye.

“But I never imagined it would be anything serious.”

The consultant who checked Grace said he had seen something behind her eye and wanted to examine her further under a general anaesthetic.

The operation was carried out the following morning – and soon afterwards doctors broke the devastating news that Grace had retinoblastoma, a cancerous tumour found in children’s eyes.

Laura said: “We were completely stunned. We’d never heard of it and we’d never imagined it could be anything like cancer.

“At that point it never occurred to us Isla could have it as well.

“We were only thinking about how Grace was going to get through it.”

Further tests found multiple malignant tumours in Grace’s left eye, which experts said she had not been able to see out of for some time.

The growths were graded E – the most dangerous form of the disease.

There were also tumours in Grace’s right eye.

Laura said: “It was shattering to hear that Grace had been blind in one eye for months.”

Doctors told the couple they had to make a heart-rending decision – because the only way to save the child’s life was to remove her eye.

Laura said: “It was devastating for her but it was the only way. It was the worst decision we have ever had to make. But there was no choice. It was either her eye or her life.”

A week later, in April last year, the operation was carried out at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Grace’s eye was replaced with a metal implant.

The following day her twin sister was checked by doctors.

And they found the same cancerous growths in both of Isla’s eyes.

Laura said: “It was too much to take in. We were in utter shock.

“We’d just had one child lose her eye and now we were being told our other daughter had it too.

“The thought of two children having cancer was just horrendous. I was so upset and kept saying to Alan, ‘What have they done to deserve this?’

“It didn’t seem fair. Our girls were only one year old and yet both of them were battling cancer.” However, Isla’s cancer wasn’t as far advanced as her sister’s, so she didn’t have to lose either eye.

Instead she underwent six months of shattering chemotherapy, which she finished last autumn.

Laura said: “She coped really well.

“She was s i ck and exhausted and lost her hair but she managed to come through it. We are very proud of them both.”

Grace also had laser treatment on her remaining eye to shrink the tumours.

And recent check-ups have shown the tumours are now dormant in both girls. Laura said: “It is such a relief they are doing so well.

“They have so much more energy now, especially Isla now she’s finished her chemotherapy.

“They are always running around the house together. It’s wonderful to see.”

Laura added: “I’m so relieved I asked the health visitor to check Grace when I did because it wouldn’t have been picked up otherwise.

Emotional

“And having Grace treated has saved Isla too.

“When I look at the two of them together it’s very emotional, knowing what they have been through.

“I feel like the luckiest mum in the world to have them both.”

And railway guard Alan said: “It’s wonderful they have come through.

“It was frightening when they were first