Inseparable twin sisters diagnosed with same cancer weeks apart
Twin sisters, who are inseparable, were diagnosed with breast cancer within weeks of each other. Amanda Mcinulty and Rhona Buchanan, both 51, received the devastating cancer news just six weeks apart.
Earlier this year in January, Rhona noticed something was amiss with her left breast. Rhona shared the news of her breast cancer diagnosis with Amanda via FaceTime, prompting Amanda to get herself checked as well.
Merely six weeks after Rhonda's diagnosis, Amanda discovered she too had breast cancer. In recent months, both sisters have undergone mastectomies on their left breasts.
They joined forces on TikTok to raise awareness about cancer following their surgeries. Amanda resides in Burton-on-Trent while Rhona lives in central Scotland.
Amanda said: "It has been an emotional journey for ourselves and our family and friends. With us being so close we have been able to support each other. And I think it has actually brought us closer."
Rhona added: "I appreciate the time that we spend together more." Born just 14 minutes apart, the "inseparable" identical twins each have a son and a daughter, and they both became grandmothers to two boys.
Amanda relocated to Burton-on-Trent thirty years ago, but the sisters seize every opportunity to meet up. Amanda said: "We have always been close. We have never had a bad word to say about each other.
"I moved down south but we take every opportunity to meet up. We have a caravan in Carlisle it is quite a good central spot for us to meet up."
Rhona first spotted a change in her left breast in January 2025, which led her to book an appointment with her GP. She was then sent to the breast clinic for an ultrasound and mammogram.
Recalling when she noticed something wrong, she said: "I had noticed a change in my left breast - there was a dimpling. The doctor referred me to the breast clinic and after a mammogram and an ultrasound they said it was likely to be breast cancer."
"It was confirmed in the end of April when they said I had invasive lobular cancer. They thought it was multiple tumours, but after a surgery they confirmed it was just one large tumour I had," Rhona added.
Amanda quickly decided to head back south for a mammogram screening and received a callback and a letter requesting her return for additional tests where she underwent a mammogram and an ultrasound. However, six weeks later she was told she had breast cancer.
Rhona said: "Amanda went back to her appointment and the same thing happened. She Facetimed me from the hospital car park and told me she had breast cancer."
Amanda said the sisters "could not believe" what was happening and that it was "ironic" that the cancer was also in the left breast. She said: "I had no symptoms. It was just your routine breast screening after you're age 50 you get invited for breast screening and that's where it was picked up.
"I just thought I was double-checking that everything was alright and for that to happen to me it was just unbelievable."
Amanda's tumour was diagnosed as invasive ductal cancer and she was offered a lumpectomy but opted for a complete mastectomy instead. Rhona finished radiotherapy several weeks ago and is taking a hormone medication called tamoxifen for 10 years.
With Amanda, because she detected the cancer early, medics managed to eliminate the disease and she doesn't require radiotherapy or additional treatment. Amanda said: "It has been an emotional journey for ourselves and our family and friends.
"We being so close we have been able to support each other. I think it has actually brought us closer."
Rhona added: "I appreciate the time that we spend together more." The twins have even launched their own TikTok page where they document their cancer experiences on TikTok.
They have had numerous people contacting them seeking guidance on breast cancer - including school pals that they haven't seen for years. Thousands of views have been racked up on the sisters' account @twintides0.
Rhona said: "I was at Amanda's and I think we were having a conversation about how unique it is the fact that the two of us have got breast cancer within two weeks of each other.
"We were encouraged by Amanda's husband and our son and daughter to documenting our journey in TikTok. We just try to be our authentic selves and just getting our message across."
Amanda added: "We have got friends and family both in England and Scotland and it was a way for both of us share what was going on without directly talking to them.
"Rhona is the brains behind it. It has been a positive experience all around really just an act to take our minds off what's been happening. It has been something we can actually do together which has been fun."
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