Twins or multiple births are a rare occurrence. According to Twins Trust the likelihood of giving birth to twins is about one in 250, which is about 0.5%. While being a twin may be rare, them experiencing the same illness may cause many people to be shocked. Ryan and Sean Collard, twin brothers from Hetton-Le-Hole, faced the same devastating cancer diagnosis within months of each other. Both have bravely overcome the disease and are now using their experiences to help other men. They've launched a men's health page dedicated to raising awareness about testicular cancer and offering support to young men going through similar struggles. Ryan's Fight: Dismissed and Diagnosed Ryan, who is now a primary school teacher, recalls being initially dismissed by a doctor who told him he was "too young" for cancer when he first reported his symptoms. He had severe issues, including passing out multiple times a day and half his body going numb, which eventually led to him being rushed to the hospital twice. After pushing for answers through multiple appointments, Ryan, at just 23, was finally diagnosed with stage three choriocarcinoma, an aggressive form of testicular cancer. He shared on their joint Instagram page, 'Cancer Lads,' how frustrating it was to be initially brushed off. Sean's Diagnosis and Their Shared Mission Just as Ryan was recovering from his aggressive cancer, his twin brother, Sean, received his own devastating diagnosis of a less aggressive form of testicular cancer. Sean underwent surgery and chemotherapy and has since gone on to have two children. Ryan, now 31, is also married with a son, thanks to fertility treatment. Ryan emphasized the power of connection, telling Chronicle Live, "It was only when I met other men who had a similar lived experience I felt really able to talk freely and feel properly understood. That is why I started an Instagram account." He wanted to create a space where others could find that same sense of understanding and release emotions. Twins And Health Issues There has always been a great interest in surrounding twins and their health. Questions like, ‘do both twins get affected if one of them sick?’ often occur to people. A 2023 study published in the Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica. It shows that twins do face a higher risk of health complications compared to singletons, due to their risk of being born earlier. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, more than 60% of twins, and almost all higher-order multiples (like triplets or quadruplets), are born early, which means before 37 weeks of pregnancy. The more babies there are, the earlier they tend to arrive. Babies from multiple pregnancies have about double the risk of being born with certain problems, including issues with the spine and brain (like spina bifida), digestive system, and heart. Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) is also a cause of concern. This serious condition only happens with identical twins who share a single placenta. In about 15% of these cases, blood vessels in the placenta connect in a way that one twin gets too much blood (the "recipient"), and the other twin doesn't get enough (the "donor"). This can overload the recipient twin's heart and lead to too much amniotic fluid, while the donor twin will have very little fluid. Why Talking Matters: A Call for Men to Speak Up The brothers' story highlights a critical issue: men often delay seeking help for health concerns. Data from Macmillan confirms this, showing that nearly half (48%) of men in their 30s admit they wait for health problems to disappear on their own. This figure is twice as high as men aged 60 or over, underscoring the vital importance for men, especially younger ones, to open up and talk about their health.