It brought us closer together: Two sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer six months apart, despite no family history of the disease

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

Karla Landsberg, 46, a childcare worker living in Hertford, Hertfordshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2023 after noticing a lump the size of a blueberry 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 it was heartbreaking to watch her undergo treatment.

Just a 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 that Atlanta had breast cancer.

If Karla hadn’t been diagnosed, she said she “wouldn’t have done anything about it,” adding: “I probably owe my whole life to her.”

The couple both underwent breast-conserving surgery, followed by chemotherapy that left them without hair – but they “tried each other’s wigs” and supported each other through treatment.

Now they want to encourage others to get checked out ‘as soon as possible’ for any unusual symptoms or lumps.

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

“I was so shocked and couldn’t believe it, especially since I was still battling cancer myself. But we came together and became one.”

Atlanta said, “When 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 every step of the way, telling me what to expect and giving me advice… and we even tried on each other’s wigs.

“This isn’t how I imagined my first year of marriage would be, but it has brought my sister and I so much closer together.”

Karla had been suffering from a ‘dull ache’ behind her left shoulder for several weeks and one evening, while lying on her side in bed, she noticed ‘something’ in her left breast.

She examined herself, discovered a lump and thought she would wait and ‘see if it would go away’ – but after two weeks the lump was still there, prompting her to visit 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. Atlanta accompanied her.

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

“I think my emotions got the better of me,” she said.

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

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

“I noticed my hair starting to fall out when I brushed it and I cried when I looked in the mirror,” she said.

“Then I said to my partner, ‘Can you cut my hair and shave it off?’”

As treatment progressed, Karla became “completely bald,” prompting her to purchase a wig, and she was left bedridden with extreme fatigue.

“It was like the worst case of Covid… and I didn’t want to die, but I would have rather been dead – that’s how horrible 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 unable to attend the Atlanta wedding in June 2023 – and while it was “the right thing” to do, she said she was “devastated”.

It wasn’t until a working visit to Scotland, just a week after the wedding, that Atlanta discovered a pea-sized lump in her left breast, leading to her own diagnosis in July 2023.

“I think I felt like I had failed in so many different ways, because I was just married,” Atlanta explains.

“I felt like I wasn’t a woman anymore because the feminine parts of me had failed me.”

Karla said she was “shocked and in disbelief” when she heard Atlanta’s diagnosis. She described it as “very sad and upsetting,” but she knew she could give her advice and help her through her treatment.

“It was so bizarre, I still can’t believe it… but it definitely brought us even closer together,” Karla said.

Atlanta underwent breast-conserving surgery in August 2023, followed by chemotherapy in October 2023 and then radiation therapy, which caused her to lose her hair, gain 20 pounds and feel tired “all the time.”

In November 2023, Karla received radiation therapy every day for a month and there are no more signs of illness.

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

In addition to supporting each other, the sisters said their dogs Bella and Dexter helped them through their diagnoses and that they have since realized that “life is too short.”

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

Karla gave this advice to others going through cancer treatment: “Take each day as it comes and think positive.

“Get outside as much as you can, get some fresh air, and put on your big-girl pants, because whether you live or die, you still have to take care of yourself.”

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

“There is a huge difference between where I was six months ago and where I am now, so I look at the next six months and hope that I will be on the same path.

“I would strongly urge anyone with any symptoms or concerns to get tested as soon as possible.”

If you would like to sign up to host an afternoon tea in August in support of breast cancer research and life-changing support, visit the Breast Cancer Now website: breastcancernow.org/afternoon-tea.

For more information about Atlanta’s fundraiser, visit: justgiving.com/page/atlanta-landsberg-1718278638478.