by Sisters Who ʙᴀᴛᴛʟᴇᴅ ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ Together, How They Can Give Birth On The Same Day
Karla Oke and Lisa Stevenson, from Swindon, born six years apart – say they will never truly comprehend how unique their bond is after a series of ʙɪᴢᴀʀʀᴇ ᴛɪᴍɪɴɢs ruled their lives.
Karla Oke and Lisa Stevenson share an incredible bond after they faced ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ together and gave birth to their sons in the same hospital on the same day. The sisters – born six years apart – have shared the incredible coincidences that have occurred to the pair during life. Insync Karla and Lisa were both told they had preᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀous ᴄᴇʟʟs ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ Kᴀʀʟᴀ ꜰɪʀsᴛ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ sᴍᴇᴀʀ ᴛᴇsᴛ ɪɴ ʜᴇʀ ᴇᴀʀʟʏ 20s. Doctors believe Karla having the test ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇʟʏ sᴀᴠᴇᴅ Lisa’s life as she too had the ᴄᴏɴᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ.After ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ for that, the pair were both told they may never be able to carry babies to full term and both had ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs in 2013.
But after that, they both fell pregnant within a month of each other and had their first sons in 2015. And amazingly they fell pregnant at the same time again two years later, having boys Alex and Preston just four hours apart.
Karla, 36, and Lisa, 31,the sister’s were different growing up – Karla was a girly girl, while Lisa was a self-styled tomboy. Karla was ᴏᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴏɴ Fᴏʀ ᴄᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴀʟ pre-ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ – where ᴄᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴀʟ ᴄᴇʟʟs ᴀʀᴇ ᴀʙɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ to the point they are likely to develop into ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ in the future.
Amazingly, Karla’s pre-cervical ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʀ saved Lisa’s life as she decided to get checked too. Lisa discovered she had the same cells as Karla at just 19-years-old. Doctors told her she wouldn’t have made it to her 25th birthday if she hadn’t insisted on being looked at too.
In February 2013, Lisa experienced her first miscarriage and Karla supported her through it. A few months later in September, Karla miscarried a baby at three months. The sisters were grateful and astonished that this was something else they both experienced and were able to support each other through, understanding each other’s ᴛᴜʀᴍᴏɪʟ.
Lisa said: “We thought that was going to be the end of our relationship – one of us would be able to have a baby and the other wouldn’t. But then we both fell pregnant at the same time and had our first babies three weeks apart!”
Lisa got married in September 2014 with Karla as her bridesmaid and fell pregnant shortly after. In the summer of 2015, the sisters had their first sons Eli and Spencer.
Lisa was the first to pregnant with her second child in the autumn of 2016. In May 2017, Lisa went into labour with her second son, Axel. She rang Karla to tell her but heard only ɢʀᴏᴀɴɪɴɢ on the phone – because her big sister was on her way to the same hospital in labour herself. Lisa’s son Axel and Karla’s son Preston were born hours apart.
Karla said: “It’s still very surreal to think we had our boys on the same day, on the same ward.”
