Kristin Hallenga

Kristin Hallenga (Born 11 November 1985) is a Sun columnist and founder of breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel!. She received public attention after being profiled in Kris: Dying to Live, a documentary that covered her experience when she had terminal breast cancer. In November 2014, Kris was featured as a special guest on Russell Howard's Good News where she famously threw a dodgeball boob into the comedians face and talked about her charity and experiences.^[1] In 2009, she won a Pride of Britain Award.^[2]

Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Hallenga was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 23. Her doctor originally dismissed a tumor on Hallenga’s breast as “hormonal” leading to a late diagnosis.^[3] Due to this, she now lives with stage four breast cancer.^[4] Despite Hallenga’s cancer having spread to her liver and her bones, and having had a lesion on her brain,^[5] she has survived her original prognosis by having terminal cancer for over five years.^[6]

I was diagnosed in 2009, and I was diagnosed eight months after first going to the doctors. I was told three times that I was too young to get breast cancer. I decided that my story needs to be told and we need to get young people thinking about breast cancer and their boobs from a younger age, and start checking from a younger age because I never did. I thought it was never going to happen to me.

— Kristin Hallenga, BBC Radio One Newsbeat^[7]

CoppaFeel!

Driven by the difficult experience, Kristin Hallenga and her sister Maren devoted themselves to educating young people about the dangers of late diagnosis of breast cancer. They launched CoppaFeel!, a breast cancer awareness charity, at Beach Break Live in 2009.^[8] The charity receives frequent media coverage, and according to Daily Mail columnist, Andrew Pierce, “‘CoppaFeel! has saved thousands of lives”.^[9]

References