CoppaFeel was founded in 2009 by Kristen Hallenga and her twin sister Maren. Kris was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer at the age of 23. After finding a lump at 22, living abroad in China for 8 months and eventually visiting her doctor 3 times, Kris was told that she had incurable breast cancer. Kris was unaware that breast cancer could affect people in their twenties and knew very little about the disease. At the time, there was very little information about the disease or that breast cancer doesn’t just affect women over 50.

Although Kris will always live with cancer, she wanted to share her message with young people that catching cancer early means you have a higher chance of surviving and recovering. She wanted people to learn from her story and become pro-active about their own health. The idea for CoppaFeel! was born. Most Boobettes have been diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 35 and share their own experience of breast cancer.

Sara, a Boobette herself, spoke to us (virtually) about the charity and what it means to be a Boobette. In her talk, Sara spoke about her own experience and her delayed diagnosis which posed an additional challenge. The Boobettes aim to educate, encourage and empower because speed of detection can make a significant impact since treatments are more effective and survival rates are higher the earlier that the cancer is detected.

We all found the talk inspiring, informative and empowering.