"Our mother died of breast cancer at the age of 55," says Raj Dhillon, (pictured right) 72, and identical twin sister to Tej Bains. Tej says, "I was diagnosed with breast cancer in June of 2015. It was devastating. The doctors said, ‘You have an identical twin? She needs to get tested right away.’ And she got diagnosed, in exactly the same spot. Identical, genetic, HER2+ tumors.” Tej had stage 2 breast cancer, while Raj had stage 1 breast cancer. Raj nods, “Tej had already started treatment, I couldn’t bear to tell her I had cancer too. I didn’t tell her for three weeks. When I told my sister the news, it was a double shock.” Tej agrees, then adds, “I’m glad I found out I had cancer because then Raj was diagnosed, and it was first stage, so in a way I’m blessed I had cancer.” The twins smile at one another. Raj advises, “Even in dismal moments, reach out. It’s never going to be easy to go through this, but somebody is there for you.

Tags: Breast Cancer, breast cancer, Cancer, cancer, featured, HER2+, HER2+ tumors, patient stories, stage 1 breast cancer, US News