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Two New Jersey Sisters Say They Realized They Both Had Breast Cancer Because of a Hero Pet Pug

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A pair of sisters say that they discovered they each had breast cancer all thanks to a furry friend in their lives.

Amanda Tasca and her older sister Amy Niosi, who are both in their mid-30s, each discovered that they had the illness and are now crediting Tasca's canine companion Daisy with saving their lives, according to ABC7.

Per the report, Tasca discovered a tumor in her breast when Daisy jumped on her and caused some discomfort. "This one jumped on my chest and I was like, 'Ow, that kind of hurt,'" Tasca told the outlet while pointing to her pooch.

After the initial incident with her sister, Niosi then found a lump when she was watching television while wearing a T-shirt and no bra. When she had a bra on, she says she couldn’t feel the lump. Niosi later discovered that she had stage 3 breast cancer, as well as cancer in her lymph nodes.

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Both sisters, who hail from New Jersey, then got double mastectomies, while Niosi also had chemotherapy and radiation. Their doctor says their prognoses are good and the two now credit Daisey — who was given to Tasca by her husband Steve — with helping them to discover the cancer in the first place.

"I 100% know it was her. And throughout my entire recovery she's never left my side," Tasca said.

"This is definitely a first for me," Dr. Deena Mary Atieh Graham told ABC7 about the dog's actions. "Generally, we recommend screening mammograms, but whatever way we can discover things as quickly as we can."

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Now, the two sisters are urging everyone to be aware of changes to their bodies and to get checked for breast cancer if they suspect they may have it.

"If you have any kind of inkling or you feel anything, even if you're under the age of 40 where you normally wouldn't get mammograms, just go to the doctor and get it checked," Tasca said.

"Don't assume you're in clear if you test negative for the BRCA gene because none of us had that, but yet we still have this, "Niosi added.