It doesn’t matter who you are – CoppaFeel! wants you to “grab life by the boobs”.
The charity’s latest campaign aims to highlight the broad range of people who can get breast cancer, including young cisgender women, trans men and women, and cisgender men.
The inclusive campaign hopes to normalise breast checking across the nation, encouraging us all to check regularly, “grab on to life”, and get to know our bodies.
The film marks 10 years since CoppaFeel! was founded in by Kris Hallenga and her twin sister Maren, after Kris was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer at the age of 23.
Before her diagnosis, Kris was unaware that breast cancer could affect people in their twenties and knew very little about the disease. It struck her that there was little information out there for young people and how they could be looking after themselves. So she decided to do something about it.
In the decade since Kris, Maren and the CoppaFeel! team have talked boobs with young people across the nation, from schools to uni campuses, festival fields and a whole lot in between.
Heidi Elleray was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2018 after finding a small lump. She said seeing CoppaFeel! at the university where she works meant she was” extra quick to get it checked out”, so she decided to take part in the latest film.
“I got involved in the campaign in the hope that it would help people understand that breast cancer can affect everyone, it doesn’t matter your age, gender or race, regular checking can make all the difference, and you can still rock it during treatment and come out stronger than ever,” she said.
Leanne Pero, founder of Black Women Rising, who’s also involved in the campaign, said she got involved because “it’s important to represent the different ethnicities affected by breast cancer in the UK - something that often goes amiss in the mass cancer advertising campaigns nationwide.”
“Early detection of breast cancer saves lives, I’m a living example of that,” she added. “I’m all for doing whatever we can to normalise boob checking on a regular basis – it’s essential now that the number of people affected by cancer keeps rising and rising each year.”
There are no hard and fast rules around checking your breasts (or pecs) for signs of cancer – the most important thing is learning what’s normal for you, so you can identify any changes quickly and seek support.
Symptoms can include a lump, a change in shape or feel of a breast, skin changes like puckering or redness, nipple discharge, changes to the position of the nipple, or pain in a breast. For more tips and advice, visit the charity’s website.