Regardless of your cup size, or of whether you are male or female, when it comes to issues as serious as breast cancer, it is important to be aware of what is normal for you and your body. The sad reality is that 47,000 women and 300 men get diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year. It can also affect young people as well as older, which many people are unaware of. CoppaFeel! has arrived at the University of Nottingham (as well as at 39 other University campuses across the nation) to change this. CoppaFeel! is a breast cancer awareness charity that is set up by young people, for young people. The founder, Kris Hallenga, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer when she was just 23. Previous to this, Kris was not aware of the importance of checking her boobs regularly and believed breast cancer was a disease for older women, not for someone as young as her.
Coppafeel! Founder – Kris Hallenga
Kris had noticed a lump in her breast but was misdiagnosed twice, so carried on with her life. A few months passed and she noticed that the lump had started to spread. Her strong willed mother took her back to the doctors and refused to believe that the lump was purely down to hormonal changes in Kris’ body. It was at this point that the cancer was diagnosed and unfortunately it had spread to Kris’ spine. If the change in her breasts had been detected earlier, the cancer may have been controlled. Sadly for Kris, the cancer had developed to stage four.
Kris got pro-active and refused to let this cruel disease kill her spirit. With the help of her twin sister, Maren, she set up the charity CoppaFeel! in 2009 to try and help other young people to avoid the same fate. The vision of the charity is to “live in a world where all breast cancers are diagnosed at the earliest stage possible, at which treatments are more effective and survival rates are higher.”
CoppaFeel! aims to stamp out late detection and misdiagnosis of breast cancer by trying to get young people to get to know what is normal for their breasts (or pecks for guys) so that changes can be detected early on. It also wants to diminish the taboo surrounding breast cancer by getting people talking about boobs as much as possible. Issues regarding breast cancer can affect anyone of any age. Therefore it is of the upmost importance that each individual checks themselves regularly throughout their lifetime and have the confidence to seek medical referral when they detect abnormalities. Symptoms to look out for include:
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Boob Team Leader for the University of Nottingham, Sara Sheibani (3rd year English studies student) states, “There’s no wrong or right way to check your boobs, the only important thing is to do it regularly. Look out for the signs and symptoms of change to your boobs and know what is normal for you.” Sara is one of the team members of CoppaFeel! who brings events to the Nottingham campus to get people involved with touching their boobs. The team organises fun and informative events throughout the year. Recently, posters were put up around campus, as well as on Facebook and Twitter advertising a mysterious event in Portland Building set up by CoppaFeel! for Valentine’s Day. Those who attended were greeted by a flash mob from the University of Nottingham Dance Society, many of whom were dressed up as giant breasts. To “cop a feel” of one of these giant boobies, students were asked the question, “Would you touch your own?” The purpose of this event was to raise awareness of the importance of feeling and knowing your own chest, but in a fun and cheeky way. The message sent was “Love Your Boobs This Valentine’s Day”. However, Valentine’s Day only falls once a year and young people need to be aware of the importance of checking their breasts every month.
Doing something as small as checking your chest and under arms regularly could do something as huge as saving your life. It seems simple, yet many people still do not take it into serious consideration. CoppaFeel! suggests that the best way to ensure you regularly check your breasts is to get into a routine. The campaign for 2013 is to encourage people to get into the habit of checking themselves in the shower. Next time you’re taking a shower and are inevitably touching your body anyway, why not give your boobs a little bit of extra attention. It should be as essential to your routine as brushing your teeth or getting dressed in the morning. It is understandable that with a busy student lifestyle it may be easy to forget every now and then to check your body. This is why CoppaFeel! offer a FREE reminder SMS service. To receive a FREE monthly text message reminding you that it’s time to “cop a feel” simply text NHAM to 70500.
Patron of CoppaFeel! – Fern Cotton
For more information check out:
– Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoppaFeelUniversityOfNottingham
– Twitter: UoNCoppaFeel
Or visit: www.coppafeel.org to read Kris’ incredible story, see photos and videos of celebrity faces that support the charity (including Fern Cotton, Dermot O’Leary and Ed Sheeran) and to keep up to date with CoppaFeel! events.
Begin the habit of a lifetime, start regularly coppin’ a feel of your boobs. It could save your life.