Mother Heartbreaks as both Identical Twins are diagnosed with Leukemia
A mother has spoken of her devastation after both of her twin boys were diagnosedwith leukaemia.Logan and Regan Skinner, six, developed the devastating disease within a year of each other after their skin started to go yellow and began bruising easily.They were diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which attacks the bone marrow and progresses rapidly.Now after four years of treatment, Logan has finished his chemotherapy with Reganset to end the treatment next month.The pair will now have regular checks including blood tests every four weeks for the next three years but doctors are hopeful they have both beaten the disease.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a cancerof the white blood cells.The causes are not yet known but studies have found identical twins and brothers and sister are at an increased risk of the disease.Logan, who is six minutes older than his brother, first became ill when he was two.Ms Skinner took him to doctors who diagnosed him with the disease in August 2012.
Talking about Logan she said: 'He had different infections for example in the ear and then I noticed that he was bruising a lot,' she said.'I was playing with him one day, as he was swinging between my legs he hit his face and the bruise came up straight away.'The next morning he was bright yellow and I thought he may be anaemic - it turns out he was anaemic but that was due to the leukaemia.'That day the doctors compared the twins' skin colour and sent Logan straight to Pilgrim Hospital in Boston.The social work student, who became pregnant with the pair when she was 18, said the diagnosis happened differently with Regan.But nevertheless, it was not long before their worst fears were confirmed.She said: 'Regan wasn't unwell when he was diagnosed but he had got an identical bruise to Logan.'I went to get him tested and they said he had leukaemia too, so I had to go to the Queen's Medical Centre hospital in Nottingham to get that confirmed as well.'They both had to have a test to see how high risk or low risk they are. Logan was high risk so he had to have a more intense treatment.
'He was really bad - it made him really ill. I remember one day as soon as they pressed the go button on the chemotherapy he was so sick everywhere.'I remember saying if Regan does get it I won't be as scared. It's not just life or death, you have to sit in a big hospital and I thought second time round I would be okay dealing with it.'When I was told Regan did have the disease it hit me so hard. I wondered whether I would be able to look after both of them - but I got through it.'Logan was given six months of chemotherapy and Regan was given four months treatment, which he shall be ending shortly.The boys will also have to have a lumbar puncture, where fluid is drained from the spine, every 12 weeks to continue to fight their illness.Doctors will monitor them closely as the cancer is most likely to come back in the first year.But it has a high survival rate, around 70 per cent, which improves the younger the patient is.The family have been supported by charity MAKE A WISH FOUNDATION which is paying for the family to go to Disneyland, in Florida.
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