Karla Oke and Lisa Stevenson share an incredible bond after they faced cancer 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 precancerous cells after Karla first had a smear test in her early 20s.
Doctors believe Karla having the test ultimately saved Lisa’s life as she too had the condition.
After treatment for that, the pair were both told they may never be able to carry babies to full term and both had miscarriages in 2013.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here
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.
Now Karla has shared more on their sisterly bond.
She added: “I think as the eldest sister, I've always been very protective of her. But sharing all our milestones together has only strengthened our bond.”
Karla, 36, and Lisa, 31, had a special bond growing up but say their lives panning out so similarly has made their relationship amazing.
Despite their bond, the sister’s were different growing up - Karla was a girly girl, while Lisa was a self-styled tomboy.
They grew up in Chippenham, Wilts, but Lisa followed Karla to Swindon during their first pregnancies because she wanted to be closer to her sister during their special time.
The bizarre set of combined circumstances began when Karla was adamant in her early-20s that she had cervical cancer but couldn’t get a smear test booked until her 25th birthday.
The NHS doesn’t screen for cervical cancer in under-25s because it deems it very rare in younger women.
It fears premature screening may lead to unnecessary treatment because abnormal cell changes often go back to normal in younger women.
However, Karla’s superstitions were right and she was operated on for cervical pre-cancer - where cervical cells are abnormal to the point they are likely to develop into cancer in the future.
Amazingly, Karla’s pre-cervical cancer 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 turmoil.
Karla said: “We have been through some tough times - just as everyone has in their lives - but going through those times together has helped us both.”
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.
“And it would be too hard to see each other.
“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.
Both sisters started trying for babies around that time but had been told their cervixes were too weak from all the treatment to grow a baby to full term.
In the summer of 2015, the sisters had their first sons Eli and Spencer, now both six, within a month of each other at Great Western Hospital, Wilts.
The pair wanted to try for another child each but not until they could fit into their dresses for Karla’s wedding in August 2016.
Lisa joked that the night of the wedding was when they both started trying for second babies again.
Lisa was the first to confide in her sister that she was pregnant with her second child in the autumn of 2016.
She said: “I told my sister one morning as I dropped off her son that I was pregnant. She was super happy.
“And then one day a few months later I drove her to the doctors - which she told me was just to check something.
“I watched the boys in the car and she came out and said it had been her midwife appointment!”
In May 2017, Lisa went into labour with her second son, Axel.
She rang Karla to tell her but heard only groaning 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, both now four, were born hours apart.
Lisa experienced a third-degree tear during her labour, while Karla’s son was born via cesarean.
Karla said: “It's still very surreal to think we had our boys on the same day, on the same ward.
“I remember being up all night talking to Lisa via text to see how she was getting on. I was having contractions the whole time but I thought it was just Braxton hicks.
“I remember saying to our dad, ‘I think I might actually be in labour’. He said, ‘do you think you might be trying to steal your sister's thunder? Maybe it's sympathy pains!’
“By the time I convinced myself I actually was in labour and got to the hospital, I was already 9.5 cm dilated”
Midwives on the ward at Great Western Hospital in Swindon - the same hospital the sisters had their first sons - were fascinated by the coincidence and kept fretting between the sisters.
Karla added: “Once I gave birth to my son, Lisa came into my room with her baby.
“It was such a lovely experience to be able to hold your newborn baby and your brand new nephew at the same time.
“It was very special.
“I don't know if we will ever truly comprehend how unique that experience was.
Karla described having their children together as “the highlight of our lives.”
She added: “Our boys have the most amazing bond. Both of my boys have severe learning disabilities and are non-verbal, so they find socialising with children very difficult.
“My boys are completely at ease with Lisa’s children, who are also very protective of them.”
