Queensland daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, but after few months of chemotherapy, she found out that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, too. Now, both of them are battling together to win against the illness.
Bethany Carlton from North Queensland said she was first diagnosed with cancer at the age of 17. The doctor told her she had Rhabdomyosarcoma -- a rare muscle cancer and it is diagnosed only six times per year in Australia.
After she found out about her cancer, she underwent to a medical procedure and had the cancerous lump removed before her 18th birthday. Bethany was also told that because her cancer is rare she needed to continue her chemotherapy for 12 months.
She said that the procedure and the thought that she has cancer greatly affected her not just physically but also emotionally. The anxiety has become more intense when she found out that the treatment could possibly destroy her ability to have a children.
Unfortunately, just three months after she started with the chemo, an "unthinkable" incident happened. Her mother, Mybritt Larsen, came to her and revealed that she was also diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I just started laughing and then she started laughing and I said, 'I am so sorry, I feel terrible but this is just so random, what are chances of this happening," Bethany explained to Brisbane Times about her initial reaction when she found out about her mother's condition. "I said, 'Why are you trying to steal my thunder Mum? I am the one with cancer, not you!"
Although it's really difficult for the family, Bethany said that the illness brought the whole family closer and she now appreciates all the things that surround her. "When mum is sick I look after her, and when I am sick she looks after me," the teen said. "My appreciation for little things has grown."
Bethany's chemo is due to finish this February and her mom will be done with her therapy by the end of 2017.
