Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Knowing your normal

Every October, people all over the world show their support for people affected by breast cancer.

Ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2021, we launched a new unit meeting activity for Rangers with the help of CoppaFeel!.

We chatted to Millie Young, head of education at the charity, to find out more about what they do, why they wanted to help us make an activity for Rangers, and breast cancer awareness.

Hi Millie! Can you tell us what do you do at CoppaFeel!

I’m the head of education at CoppaFeel!. My role oversees our evolving portfolio of education programmes and activities, alongside the delivery and development of our education strategy. This includes our school resources and support for teachers, our fabulous Boobette volunteers and partnerships like the new Rangers unit meeting activity. 

What does CoppaFeel! do?

We are the first breast cancer charity in the UK to solely create awareness amongst young people, with the aim of instilling the knowledge and tools they need to get to know their bodies and make informed decisions about their health.

We like to talk about a serious message in a light-hearted way, empowering people to start healthy behaviours which could one day save their life. You can follow us on Twitter, Instagram and head to our website to find out more about what we do and how you can get involved. 

Why is what you do so important?

In the UK, around 55,000 women and almost 400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Around 2,300 women are diagnosed aged 39 or under and in females aged 25 to 49, breast cancer is the most common cancer. So although it is rare in younger people, it can still happen, as all genders have breast tissue, which develops at a young age. We know we can’t stop breast cancer from happening, but we want everyone to have the best possible chance of surviving it.

This is why we shout from the rooftops about knowing your normal, checking regularly, and getting to the doctor if you find something unusual for you. Ideally, we want to live in a world where all breast cancers are diagnosed at the earliest stage possible, when treatments are more effective and survival rates are higher.

Why have you come together with us to create a new activity for Rangers?

We strongly believe that everyone should be educated about cancer and how to be proactive about their health from a young age. With cancer education now on the curriculum, it's never been more important to have these conversations with young people and get them adopting healthy behaviours.

Thanks to the new Girlguiding activity, Rangers will be educated about breast cancer, encouraged to check regularly and get to know their normal, and empowered to seek advice when needed. 

We appreciate that talking to young people about breast cancer may not be an easy task, which is why we offer support for teachers, parents, carers and of course Girlguiding leaders. If you’re looking for further information, we have lots of guidance and resources available via our website.

If there was one thing you could tell people about breast cancer awareness, what would it be?

Breast cancer can affect any body, at any age. Getting to know yours could save your life.