Against All Odds: Female Hero - Kristin Hallenga

 

Published in FEED magazine - Issue 11: April 2018

What makes someone brave? Is it standing up in front of an audience, riding on a ridiculously high rollercoaster or deep-sea diving, perhaps? The answer, of course, is that bravery comes in all sorts of forms. Being brave means facing your fears and all the obstacles that life can throw at you. The person I am focusing on, Kris Hallenga, seems to exude a pure selfless bravery that I genuinely don’t believe many people would be capable of.

Kristin Hallenga, is the co-founder of the breast cancer charity CoppaFeel, that was founded in 2009. You may have seen representatives of the charity at festivals, or other events such as marathons, as they are pretty noticeable – the people in question are dressed up as massive boobs!

She set up the charity with her twin sister Marin after discovering at the tender age of 23 that she had stage four breast cancer. Kris became concerned that she had an unusual lump and, after eight months of living in China, she returned home, and visited the doctors again. After previous dismissive doctors’ appointments, she was told that she had breast cancer. After some scans, she was told that the cancer had spread from her breast to her spine, and was therefore incurable.

It struck Kris very early on that there was very little information about breast cancer for young people, and she thought that people needed to be educated. Breast cancer isn’t just something people over 50 are at risk of, in fact, it can happen to women at any time, and even a small proportion of men. Kris wanted people to learn from her story – so she created CoppaFeel with her sister, only a month after receiving her diagnosis. They received charity status on the exact same day that Kris had her mastectomy. The intent was, and still is, for the charity to provide useful knowledge and awareness about the disease with the goal of catching it sooner, and increasing the chance of prevention and recovery.

Unfortunately for Kris the illness has become increasingly relentless since 2009, and it has continued to spread throughout her body – pelvis, hips, liver and even to her brain, resulting in two brain tumours. She undertakes various treatments, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, to keep her alive far past the two years expectancy she was given. However, the reality is that the cancer will worsen even if it is slowed.

CoppaFeel are now a huge nationwide recognised charity – with celebrity patrons such as Fearne Cotton, Giovanna Fletcher and Greg James. They do critical fundraising work in schools, universities, offices, and festivals. Their work is ambitious and relentless on their mission to empower people around the UK to seek advice if they need it and to ensure potential sufferers are diagnosed as early as possible.

Since the start of the charity, more people are questioning the accuracy of what their GP is telling them, and it has sparked a new dialogue on how we look at our health, and how things should be dealt with. Their key message is - don’t settle for an answer if you are not happy with what you are told – get that second opinion. Reports back to CoppaFeel have confirmed that at least 6 women were diagnosed as a direct result of Kris’s column in The Sun, after being referred to another doctor. 1 in 3 people will be affected by cancer in their lifetime, and charities like CoppaFeel have the potential to save thousands of people.

In 2016, Kris stepped down as the charity’s CEO, and she moved from the smoky fumes of London to Newquay for a change in pace and to spend quality time with family and friends. She still gets involved with the charity, but more on a creative executor side, including curating the Festifeel festival each year.

Each time I see something about Kris in the media, or online, I am always grounded and in awe of everything she has achieved. She comes across as an authentic person, brave and remains positive with an urgency to educate and get the truth out there. She is articulate and painfully honest when talking about her condition. Cancer should no longer be treated as a taboo subject, and I truly believe her input into the dialogue is changing attitudes. CoppaFeel’s monthly breast check text message reminders get sent out to over 40,000 people across the UK. So, it seems her dream to inform the masses is coming true.

Her journey is not an easy one, but she has fought for over nine years against this unforgiving disease. For a young person facing an untimely death and to retain such dignity, and to continue to campaign for the lives of others is a remarkably inspirational and selfless act, furthermore it restores my faith in humanity.

The BBC documentary about Kris’s story is on the CoppaFeel website – www.coppafeel.org, as well as tonnes of useful information about checking your own boobs or getting involved in the charity work. Do yourself a favour, and check it out.