Twins Stroke at 26: Healthy Arizona Sisters Suffer Stroke Just 9 Months Apart

A pair of twins from Tempe, Ariz. Katherine and Kimberly Tucker suffered strokes just nine months apart from each other at the age of 26, according to ABC News.

Kathryn Tucker, a senior care coordinator for an Arizona insurance company, had just gone to bed when she felt a sharp pain the back of her head on the right side before her vision went out and she went numb.

"I was absolutely terrified," said Tucker, who was sent home from the emergency room that day in July 2012 without medical intervention.

"I slept for three days straight," she said. "Then, when I woke up, my vision was horrible. Everything was distorted and one-dimensional. I could barely get around."

When she was taken to the hospital, doctors confirmed what they believed was a migraine with aura, and she went home to sleep it off. Unfortunately, upon waking up, her vision worsened, and it was later determined that she was having a stroke.

Exactly nine months later Kimberly also suffered a stroke. At 26, the twins' strokes had identical symptoms. The only difference was Kimberly's pain was on the left side of her body.

According to The Pioneer Press, the sisters are fraternal twins who do not share the same DNA, so its a mystery for the connection between the two as more twin problems are seen in identical pairs. Their family history also shows no strokes in the past.

"Honestly, it's rare for us to actually evaluate two sisters who've had strokes within months of each other," said Dr. Joni Clark, a vascular neurologist at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, according to the Examiner.com. "If they had a family history, it would not be a surprise. It's quite uncommon."

According to Psychology Today, twins share very similar brain structures that are under relatively the same genetic control. Researchers say that regardless of the relationship between the brains of two genetically similar or identical individuals, they exhibit similar patterns in various aspects of life.