It’s brought us closer: Two sisters diagnosed with breast cancer six months apart despite no family history of disease

Two sisters who were told they have breast cancer six months apart, despite having no family history of the disease, have said their diagnoses brought them closer on what would have otherwise been a “lonely road”.

Karla Landsberg, 46, a nursery nurse who lives in Hertford, Hertfordshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2023 after noticing a “blueberry-sized” lump in her left breast while lying in bed.

Her sister Atlanta Landsberg, 45, a service desk team leader who lives in Harlow, Essex, accompanied Karla to the breast clinic and said seeing her go through treatment was heartbreaking.

Just one week after Atlanta married her husband Aaron, 40, in June 2023, she discovered a lump in her left breast – and in July 2023, it was confirmed Atlanta had breast cancer.

If not for Karla’s diagnosis, she said she “wouldn’t have done anything about it”, adding: “I’ve possibly got my life to thank her for.”

The pair both underwent a lumpectomy, followed by chemotherapy which made them lose all their hair – but they “tried on each other’s wigs” and supported each other through their treatment.

Now, they want to encourage others to get any unusual symptoms or lumps checked “as soon as possible”.

Karla told PA Real Life: “Cancer came into my life like a wrecking ball, but seeing my little sister go through the same thing was like a nightmare.

“I was so shocked and couldn’t really get my head around it, especially as I was still battling cancer myself – but we did come together and unite.”

Atlanta said: “As soon as I heard the words, ‘You have breast cancer’, I knew there was only one person who could truly understand what I was going through.

“Karla was there with me every step of the way, telling me what to expect and advising me… and we even tried on each other’s wigs.

“This is not how I envisioned my first year of marriage, but it’s brought my sister and I so much closer.”

Karla had been suffering with a “dull ache” behind her left shoulder for several weeks and, one night while lying on her side in bed, she noticed there was “something” in her left breast.

She examined herself, discovered a lump, and thought she would wait to “see if it goes” – but after two weeks, the mass remained, prompting a visit to her GP.

Karla, a mother-of-three who lives with her partner Tom, a 40-year-old construction worker, was referred to the New QEII Hospital for further tests, including a mammogram and an ultrasound, and she was accompanied by Atlanta.

With doctors telling her the lump was “suspicious”, Karla then had a biopsy, which confirmed she had stage 2 breast cancer in January 2023.

“I think my emotions took over,” she said.

“I burst into tears, and I just thought I was going to die.”

Karla was reassured that the cancer was “treatable”, and she underwent a lumpectomy – surgery to remove cancer from the breast – in February 2023, followed by six months of chemotherapy.

“I noticed that my hair, when I brushed it, was starting to come out and I just cried looking in the mirror,” she said.

“Then I just said to my partner, ‘Could you cut my hair and shave it off?'”

As the treatment continued, Karla was left “completely bald”, leading her to buy a wig, and she was left bedbound with extreme fatigue.

“It was like the worst case of Covid… and I didn’t want to die but I would have preferred to have been dead – that’s how awful I felt,” she said.

“It’s very isolating, the whole thing, it’s a very lonely road.”

The impact of Karla’s treatment meant she was not able to attend Atlanta’s wedding in June 2023 – and although it was “the right thing” to do, she said she was “devastated”.

It was not until a work trip in Scotland, just one week after the wedding, that Atlanta discovered a pea-sized lump in her left breast – and this led to her own diagnosis in July 2023.

“I think because I was just married, it made me feel like I had failed in so many different ways,” Atlanta explained.

“I felt like I wasn’t a woman anymore because the parts of me that were feminine had let me down.”

Karla said she felt “shock and disbelief” when she heard of Atlanta’s diagnosis, describing it as “really sad and upsetting” – but she knew she could advise and help her through her treatment.

“It was so bizarre, I still can’t really get my head around it now… but it has definitely brought us closer together even more,” Karla said.

Atlanta underwent a lumpectomy in August 2023, followed by chemotherapy in October 2023 and then radiotherapy, which caused her to lose her hair, gain 10kg in weight, and feel fatigued “all the time”.

In November 2023, Karla had radiotherapy every day for one month and now has no evidence of disease.

Atlanta is currently taking the hormone therapy drug Tamoxifen and another cancer medication called Herceptin but is trying to get her “life back” with “baby steps” and has returned to work.

Along with each other’s support, the sisters said their dogs Bella and Dexter have helped them through their diagnoses and they have since realised “life’s too short”.

They have planned a trip to Spain this summer to visit their other two sisters, and Atlanta is planning to host an afternoon tea in August this year to raise funds for the charity Breast Cancer Now.

Speaking about her advice to others going through cancer treatment, Karla said: “Just take each day as it comes and think positively.

“Get outside as much as possible, in the fresh air, and you’ve got to put your big girl pants on because, whether you live or die, you’ve still got to support yourself.”

Atlanta added: “You don’t really understand how traumatic it all is until you’ve actually been through it yourself.

“From where I was six months ago to where I am now is a massive difference, so I look at the next six months and hope I’ll be on the same trajectory.

“I would really urge anybody with any symptoms or any worry to go and get it checked out as soon as possible.”

To sign up to host an afternoon tea this August to support breast cancer research and life-changing support, visit Breast Cancer Now’s website here: breastcancernow.org/afternoon-tea.

To find out more about Atlanta’s fundraiser, visit: justgiving.com/page/atlanta-landsberg-1718278638478.