Before I started Nutjob, I was an avid reader of blogs of all styles and genres. I was in awe of how much time and energy people put into them, and how powerful they could be. I had a particular interest in health-related blogs seeing as mental illness has impacted so much on my life. I want to talk about a few of them here over the next few weeks, both to point you in their direction (if you don't already know about them!) and to talk about how they inspire me.
The blog that has had the biggest effect on me is that of Kristen Hallenga. Kristen was 23 when she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and then secondary breast cancer. Kris had had breast lumps and pain for many months but was turned away from her GP who dismissed her concerns, claiming they were down to hormones as she was 'too young' to have breast cancer. Whilst 23 is young to be diagnosed with BC, it obviously does happen as cancer does not discriminate. Even though she was going through gruelling rounds of chemo and radiotherapy, Kristen, along with her twin sister, Maren, formed the Coppafeel campaign, which now has registered charity status.
Coppafeel educates young women (and men!) in getting to know their boobs, the signs and symptoms of breast changes, and aims to stamp out late detection and misdiagnosis of breast cancer. Their 'boob teams' rock up at music festivals around the country and at Uni campuses spreading the Coppafeel gospel, and they put on events like the Festifeel - a one-day music and fundraising extravaganza in the heart of East London. They also enter marathons and half marathons to raise money for the charity, recruiting people to run wearing their giant hooters!. And that is just a taste of their exciting projects. They also have an excellent 'remind me to Coppafeel!' tool on their website: you simply input your details and mobile number and they text you each month with a reminder to check your boobs. With patrons like effortlessly cool Fearne Cotton, and everyone's favourite cheeky presenter chappy, Dermot O'Leary, Coppafeel is going from strength to strength, and I think it is absolutely inspirational.
The charity prompted me to check my boobs for the first time in a long time, and during a self-exam I was shocked to find that one of them was a bit lumpy. I took myself straight off to the doctors and was seen in clinic a few days later. This luckily turned out to be hormonal tissue changes, but I am now so much more aware of what is normal, and more importantly, abnormal, for me. And that is all thanks to the wonderful Kristen and Coppafeel.
Kristen, through her positive attitude and incredible work to help educate others, inspires me massively and gives me hope that its possible to change the status quo, no matter how difficult the path. Plus, she's a total bad-ass.
Kristen, through her positive attitude and incredible work to help educate others, inspires me massively and gives me hope that its possible to change the status quo, no matter how difficult the path. Plus, she's a total bad-ass.
Hats off to you, Kris!
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