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STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS The Roanoke Times

Joan St. Clair, 66, of Vinton (left), a cancer survivor, received a stem cell transplant in 2008, with the stem cells provided by her identical twin sister, Jean Truman of Hardy.

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According to Vinton resident Joan St. Clair, she and her identical twin sister, Jean Truman, do everything together. Mostly they spend their time painting, wallpapering and redecorating each other's houses.

But on April 17, Truman will watch from the sidelines as St. Clair walks the first lap of Vinton's Relay for Life with other cancer survivors at William Byrd High School.

Truman knows her sister's presence as one of the cancer survivors is in part because of her.

Throughout St. Clair's battle with cancer, her sister has played an unusually active role in the treatment process.

St. Clair, 66, was diagnosed with breast cancer and a form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2005. She underwent treatment only to have the cancer return in April 2008.

When she relapsed, her doctor suggested she undergo a stem cell transplant in addition to chemotherapy. The transplant would renew her weakened immune system and give her added strength to fight the cancer.

Because the sisters' DNA matched exactly, Truman was the best candidate to serve as the stem cell donor, St. Clair said. Her doctor said the fact that the twins were "a perfect match" would greatly reduce her risk of contracting an infection during the transplant, she added.

In September, St. Clair and Truman arrived at Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Carolina for the procedure, which involved infusing Truman's healthy stem cells into St. Clair's body.

St. Clair said the transplant was far easier for her than for Truman, who experienced flu-like symptoms.

The transplant took seven days to complete. St. Clair remained at Duke several more weeks to undergo rounds of chemotherapy.

Although St. Clair will battle cancer for the rest of her life, she said the transplant helped lengthen the remission periods between chemotherapy treatments. "My cancer could be in remission anywhere from 12 to 20 years," she said.

Truman said she and St. Clair have grown even closer through this experience.

"I think something like this pulls your whole family together," Truman said.

After St. Clair completes the first lap, reserved for survivors, her sister will accompany her on the second lap, as will other caregivers.

Volunteer relay teams will lap the track throughout the night to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Roanoke College kicked off this year's first local Relay for Life on Friday, and Virginia Tech's event is later this month. Roanoke, Botetourt and Montgomery counties will host their relay events in May. Salem's relay is planned for June.

This is Vinton's second year to host Relay for Life, event co-Chairwoman Carolyn Williams said.

Williams said Vinton's goal is to raise $40,000, and she expects 40 volunteer teams to participate. Last year, the town raised more than $35,000, she said.

Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society's signature fundraiser. Since its inception in 1985, communities nationwide have volunteered to raise money in support of cancer research and services.