When Jane Gremling was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer this past June, she wasn’t as nervous about the prognosis as she could have been.
That’s because just six months earlier, her husband of nearly 47 years, Ken, 75, was diagnosed with the same type of cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma), on the same side of the same breast with a very similar-sized tumor.
“He had his appointment with the surgeon, Dr. AlHilli, the day that I found out, and they asked me if I had a surgeon … if I knew of any surgeons. And I said, ‘Yes, Dr. AlHilli at Cleveland Clinic‘ and when they called her office, Ken was in the office for his appointment. She was quite shocked. So I had my surgery a week and a half later.”
Their medical oncologist at Cleveland Clinic, Jame Abraham, MD, tells PEOPLE: “In my 16 years of practice, I only have one couple with this situation.”
Jane, 66, says the diagnosis came by surprise because she had been going for check-ups annually for 30 years with no issues. But when her doctor told her the news, she said she was familiar with the path ahead.
RELATED: Twin Sisters Put off BRCA1 Testing After Mom Died of Breast Cancer — Until One of Them Got It Too
“Had I had my diagnosis first — I tend to be a little bit more worried than he is— I think it would have been a tougher time,” she says. “I knew pretty much what was going to go on because he had his.”
Neither Ken nor Jane needed radiation or chemotherapy and they are both now in recovery, taking the same medicine for the next five years. The only difference is Jane plans to have reconstructive surgery later this month.
Dr. Zahraa AlHilli, MD says male breast cancer is rare.
“It accounts for less than 1 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed each year,” AlHilli says. “In men, recent statistics show that the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is around 1 in 833.”
Jane and Ken, who have one 41-year-old son, agree that their positive outlook and long relationship — they got married in 1971 after only three weeks of dating — is what helped them make it through this traumatic experience. They both went to each other’s appointments and leaned on one another while comparing their symptoms.
“Life is life, and it’s got ups and it’s got downs and you just have to take them as they go,” Jane says. “Through the years, we’ve had many tough times. We’ve gone through the deaths of all of our parents, and we took care of his mother for five years, which that would break any marriage usually because it’s a stress, but it didn’t. But Ken’s my best friend. And I think I’m probably his best friend, and we just hit everything head on.”
RELATED: A Breast Cancer Diagnosis Almost Made This Mom End Her Pregnancy — Now She Has 3 Healthy Kids
Their shared sense of humor is also what kept them in good spirits.
“I told Dr. Hayley, I said, ‘You know, Ken and I dated three weeks and got married. We’ve been married almost 47 years. We’ve shared everything.’ Then I said, ‘But this is getting a little bit ridiculous. I think we need to put the brakes on sharing this much stuff,'” Jane says, while laughing.
RELATED VIDEO: Celebrity Chef Sandra Lee Opens Up about Her Cancer Journey — and Her Shocking New Documentary
The two are now advocating for other people to be proactive about looking for signs of cancer.
“Although it’s very, very rare, it’s not impossible for men to get it, and they should get checked out,” Ken says, while Jane adds: “You never know, but if you catch it early enough, you can avoid the chemotherapy, and all the other stuff that goes along with it.”