Latest news with #CoppaFeel
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What to do if you find a lump in your breast as Jessie J reveals cancer diagnosis
Jessie J has shared that she has been diagnosed with early breast cancer. The singer, 37, revealed her diagnosis on Instagram, stressing the fact that it was "early" and outlining how, after performing at Capital's Summertime Ball later this month, she will be having surgery. She added that recently she had been "in and out of tests", before joking that it was a "very dramatic way to get a boob job" – "I will come back with massive tits and more music," she assured fans. She said her decision to share the news was a tough one, but one she made because she knew how much the support from her fans would help her. "Selfishly, I do not talk about it enough. I'm not processing it because I'm working so hard," she explained. "I also know how much sharing in the past has helped me with other people giving me their love and support and also their own stories. I'm an open book. "It breaks my heart that so many people are going through so much similar and worse – that's the bit that kills me." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jessie J (@jessiej) We all have breast tissue, so all genders should be checking theirs once a month – whether that's in the shower, in bed, or before getting dressed. While you can follow it in the order that suits you, the breast cancer charity CoppaFeel has a three-step guide for checking your breasts. Here's what you should be looking, and feeling, for. Look at your boobs Look at the area from your armpit, across and beneath your boobs, and up to your collarbone Be aware of any changes in size, outline or shape and changes in skin, like puckering or dimpling You may find it easier to use a mirror, and if you can, look with your arms both raised and down by your sides. Feel each of your boobs Feel the area from your armpit, across and beneath your boobs, and up to your collarbone Be aware of any changes in skin like puckering or dimpling, or any lumps, bumps or skin thickening that are different from the opposite side If you can, you might find it easier to feel with your arms both raised and down by your sides, or lying down Look at each of your nipples Be aware of any nipple discharge that's not milky, any bleeding, rash or crusting that doesn't heal easily and changes in the position of your nipple Again, you may find it easier to use a mirror. Remember that when looking and feeling, you should repeat each step for each side of your breasts. To help with easily adding self-checks into your routine, you can use Coppafeel!'s regular boob check reminder. While Jessie J didn't specify whether or not she found a lump, here's what to do if you do. While most breast lumps are harmless, some can be serious, so if you feel a lump in your breast, always get it checked by a GP. At your appointment, your GP will look at and examine your breasts. If they're not sure what's causing the lump, they'll refer you to a hospital or breast clinic for further tests. At the hospital or breast clinic, you may have a breast examination or scan (usually a breast X-ray (mammogram) or ultrasound). You may also undergo a biopsy, which involves inserting a needle into the lump to remove some cells for testing. "These tests are often done during the same visit," the NHS advises. "You'll usually be told the results on the same day, although biopsy results take longer – you may have to wait about a week." Treatment for a breast lump depends on the cause, but it is worth noting that most are harmless and may go away on their own without treatment. Potential causes of breast lumps There can be various causes of lumps in the breasts including a non-cancerous tissue growth (fibroadenoma) or a build-up of fluid (breast cyst). Sometimes, a breast lump can be a sign of something serious like breast cancer. "We encourage women to attend breast screening appointments when invited and to regularly check their breasts," explains Manveet Basra, associate director, public health, inclusion and awareness at Breast Cancer Now. "Checking your breasts take a few minutes. It could be when you get dressed, when you're showering or putting on moisturiser. Just remember to check your whole breast area, your armpits and up to your collarbone (upper chest) for changes. There's no special technique, it's as simple as TLC: Touch, Look, Check." While many women know that a lump can be a possible symptom of breast cancer, there are other signs of the disease to look for. "These include nipple discharge or dimpling or puckering of the skin of the breast," Basra continues. "Most breast changes, including lumps, won't be cancer, but it's important to contact a GP as soon as possible if you notice a change to your breast that's new or unusual for you. The sooner breast cancer is found, the more successful treatment is likely to be. "Anyone seeking information or support about breast health can speak to our expert nurses via our free, confidential helpline on 0808 800 6000 or our 'Ask Our Nurses' email service." For more information on checking your breasts and signs and symptoms of breast cancer visit: or Read more about cancer: What happens during a mammogram and how often you should have a breast screening (Yahoo Life UK 6-min read) Brits less likely to die from cancer and 4 other things we learned from Cancer Research's biggest report yet (Yahoo life UK, 5-min read) How to check for 4 types of cancer increasing in younger people (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘They saved my life': Meet the woman undertaking gruelling 5 day trek to help others
A woman who was diagnosed with cancer just after her 30th birthday is taking on a gruelling challenge alongside celebrity team leaders to help raise awareness and help others. Rachel Ogden, 33, from Tottington, was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer after finding a lump. She is now getting ready to walk 100km over five days, trekking across the Isle of Skye to raise money and awareness for a charity close to her heart. CoppaFeel is dedicated to eradicating late diagnoses of breast cancer by empowering young people to regularly check their bodies and seek medical advice when something feels off. Rachel said: 'CoppaFeel saved my life. "If it wasn't for their awareness raising I would never have checked myself. My cancer was fast and aggressive and I was lucky to have caught it when I did. 'It had spread to my lymph nodes but after three months of chemo, two operations and months of radiotherapy, I am now on lots of preventive meds for the next 10 years due to the high risk of reoccurrence.' Rachel Ogden (Image: supplied) Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the Bury Times morning newsletter as well as our breaking news alerts. Rachel lost her dad to a different type of rare cancer nine years ago. She wanted to 'give back' and will be taking on the CoppaTrek challenge this June. She hopes to raise £2,500 through her fundraising page and is also hosting a raffle with high end prizes such as a Manchester City stadium tour, Woodland Spa, Chill Factore and shopping vouchers, Chanel products and more. She added: 'The journey hasn't been easy. My body has endured tremendous change. I'm now autoimmune-supressed and ended up with scepsis and get easily fatigued but I wanted to do something to feel 'like me' again. READ NEXT: Football club youngsters raised thousands for cancer charity READ NEXT: Bury venue featured on TV named as UK's top arcade 'I applied to do the trek and got a place which was amazing. The main reaction when I tell people is, 'are you mad?' but they've been so supportive. 'People see me as being fine now but this will still be really challenging for me to do.' Rachel will be taking on the trek from June 14 – 20 alongside around 120 other participants including actress and author, Giovanna Fletcher. There will be 30 people on Rachel's team, which will be led by Love Island star Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Wallingford mum's breast cancer awareness 'trek of a lifetime'
Rebecca Horne said she could not imagine at the age of 35 she would go from "being pregnant to breastfeeding to sudden menopause, all in the space of a year".The mother from Wallingford, Oxfordshire, was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 months after giving in recovery, she is heading to the Isle of Skye with breast cancer charity CoppaFeel! for a 62-mile (100km) trek on 14 June to help raise awareness of the disease, especially among young people."If you find something and you go and get it looked at, you've got the best possible chance of a good outcome, the earlier it's found," Ms Horne said. Ms Horne, who lives with her partner Ian and their four-year-old son Theo, said she "had a horrible feeling that it was something sinister" when she found a swelling in her mum, who said she has a family history of the disease, mentioned the symptom at a follow-up GP appointment for her son. "Within a few days I was seen at the Churchill Hospital and I was told on the day that it was breast cancer," she said. Following the diagnosis, Ms Horne, who is part of Oxfordshire County Council's adult social care team, said she was off work for about 13 underwent treatments including chemotherapy, breast conserving surgery and radiotherapy, followed by hormone suppressants."It's not ideal to receive a cancer diagnosis at any time of our lives but it feels particularly hard when it is in those early years of motherhood," she said she noticed the signs after seeing a sticker for Change and Check, a breast cancer awareness campaign led by ITV presenter Lorraine Horne was invited to join a choir set up by the campaign after contacting the show's producer to say how it had helped said it had "really taken off last year", with the choir recording a version of Love is All Around with singer Marti Pellow. After live performances on Lorraine and at the Royal Variety Performance in front of King Charles III, the choir was invited to the King's reception in recognition of community-based cancer support charities at Buckingham Palace."It's been such a privilege to be part of it and be able to use our platform to raise awareness," she said. She is now preparing for what she described as a "trek of a lifetime", which she said "is really part of my recovery"."I thought it would be really nice to have a goal to train for and to distract me from the worries that come from a cancer diagnosis," she Horne said while "there is a lot fear around going to get checked" it was important "to prioritise our health"."As busy young women, we forget," she said. "But it is about making time to do the things that we need to keep ourselves fit and well."And remembering that you can't pour from an empty cup, you have to be well in yourself to look after others." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Metro
10-05-2025
- Health
- Metro
I ran with my friend when he was alive - now I run for him
I was running with my friend Polly, dressed as a pair of boobs in aid of CoppaFeel – to raise awareness of the risks of undetected cancer in young people. We weren't necessarily fundraising for anyone we knew, we had just wanted to do our bit. I had run races in fancy dress before this and felt very prepared to finish. But not for what was to come. At the time of starting the race, I knew that my friend Simon was in hospital with his family in Hong Kong, having just been diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma – a blood cancer – a matter of days beforehand. I knew that it wasn't looking good – blood cancer is the fifth most common form of cancer and third most fatal in the UK. By the time I crossed the finish line that morning, I had several missed calls from friends who were in Hong Kong telling me to expect the worst. By that afternoon, we came to learn of Simon's passing. It was a bittersweet moment – I was surrounded by around 20,000 elated runners fundraising for causes close to their heart, and had just learned that I had lost a dear friend to cancer, aged 31. I couldn't believe that Simon had passed so quickly, and sadly I wasn't able to say goodbye properly because of COVID travel restrictions. Simon and I met on a dancefloor of a nightclub in Hong Kong on the night of his 28th birthday in 2018 and instantly found a friendship through a mutual love of Belfast DJ duo Bicep, trail running and Hong Kong style BBQ pork. We were young, single expats saying yes to basically everything Hong Kong had to offer. I just knew we had a future of laughter and fun ahead of us. 18 months before Simon's passing, and a few years into our friendship, we ran our first ever ultra marathon together, the 50km Hong Kong trail. I don't think either of us were prepared for what was in store, but a healthy dose of ice creams, regular beer stops and a pack of Marlboro did the trick. There's a photo of us at the end of that run that I have on my wall at home. We were both young and believed we had endless time ahead of us, and the world at our feet. Simon in particular lived life as if tomorrow wasn't guaranteed, something I've tried to emulate in the years since his passing. He would constantly try new things, and his enthusiasm was infectious. We'd travel to new countries, try new food and run stupidly long distances – all in the name of 'giving everything a go and having a laugh'. Simon didn't do anything by halves, and that was true right up until he was admitted to hospital in spring 2022. He'd just ran a 70km all night ultra marathon, unaided, and seemed to be in peak condition. At the time, I had moved back to the UK and was living in London, having been unable to visit Hong Kong since I left in 2020. Just a few weeks later he was bed bound in hospital with misdiagnosed glandular fever, which is common for people suffering from lymphoma. That's the thing with this disease – it really can happen to anyone and can go undiagnosed so easily, with symptoms much more hidden than other types of cancer. The most common symptom of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin – many people mistake it for simple infections. He was keeping us updated with a sense of humour on WhatsApp from his hospital bed, with no visitors allowed while omicron swept through the city. When Simon's family flew in from Northern Ireland, they had to abide by strict quarantine rules, with near zero flexibility. Simon's mum and aunty weren't allowed out to visit Simon until he was already unconscious in hospital, on the day of his passing. I think that was the most difficult thing for everyone to deal with, that we lost Simon without being able to say goodbye. Simon lived life to the full – he constantly threw himself into new opportunities. He always said yes to life, and that meant he had twice as much fun in 31 years of life than some manage in a whole lifetime. Something I believe is that when someone passes, a way of keeping them with you, is to keep their legacy alive in the way you lead your everyday life. One way I do this is by taking 30 minutes each day to run and think of Simon and the impact he had on us. I've been running 5km every day for over 1,000 days. Remembering Simon is now a daily ritual. Simon's friends have to date fundraised a combined £100k in Simon's name over the last few years to fund PHD research into the form of lymphoma cancer Simon passed away from, in the hope that testing, prevention and treatment can be much more effective in the future. Since his passing, the Hackney Half is now a really important annual celebration of Simon's life for me and his friends. We are determined to run it every year in his memory, and to raise more funds for Leukemia and Lymphoma Northern Ireland in his name. More Trending The Hackney Half 2025 will be day 1,234 of consecutive 5km runs for me. For day 1,000, a few of us ran 100km in his honour, ending at his memorial bench in Bangor, Northern Ireland. I've decided I'll keep running till I can't anymore – to me, it's as simple as that. I'll keep going until there aren't any more stories like Simon's. Blood cancer takes 15,000 loved ones from us each year in the UK. So, I'll keep running until that ends. View More » In Simon's name and honour. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Doctors ignored my symptoms – but took my boyfriend seriously when he intervened MORE: My date with a famous rapper ended with his startling dinosaur confession MORE: I'm a human cash machine for my kids – I'm completely to blame
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
BBC Strictly's Amy Dowden shares cancer update and asks fans an urgent question
Amy Dowden was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and has since fought for greater awareness of the disease Amy Dowden has opened up about her gruelling cancer battle a year after receiving the all-clear. The Strictly Come Dancing professional, 34, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, undergoing a mastectomy and intense chemotherapy treatment. Documenting her journey on social media, a health check eventually revealed 'no evidence of the disease' in February 2024. Yet, the Welsh dancer's fight for breast cancer awareness continues regardless, as she frequently shares candid updates with fans. Yesterday, Amy took to Instagram, sharing a past snap of herself in the hospital getting a scan done. She said: "Just seen pic in an article online. This was my scan, nearly a year ago. "I'm smiling there (inside I was [nervous] but gosh have I come such a long way since. It's the first of the month!" Amy then took the opportunity to ask her followers one crucial question regarding their own health. "When was the last time you checked yourself?", she asked. "I'm going to share the resources/next story! If you're not checking, who is?" Resources from CoppaFeel! urge individuals to frequently observe and feel their breasts to watch out for any unusual changes. Lumps, swelling and abnormal differences in breast shape or size are among the red flags to look for, in addition to the following: Nipple discharge (if you're not pregnant or breastfeeding), which may have blood in it Lumps or swelling in your breast, chest or armpit Change in size or shape of 1 or both breasts, or either side of your chest – it's common for breasts to be different sizes, but check for any changes that are not normal for you Sores or ulcers on your chest Change in the skin of your breast, such as dimpling (it may look like orange peel) or redness, which may be harder to see on black or brown skin Change in the shape or look of your nipple, such as it turning inwards (inverted nipple) or a rash on it (it may look like eczema Guidance from the NHS also adds: "Checking your breasts or chest regularly helps you learn what looks and feels normal for you. This makes it easier to notice any changes that could be a sign of a condition such as breast cancer. "You should try to check your breasts or chest about once a month." Amy's health alert comes just days after the NHS appealed to individuals aged 50 to 71, urging them to get a mammogram. Women are generally invited to these breast cancer screenings every three years up until the age of 71. Members of the trans community, including trans men, trans women, and non-binary people, are also in line to be routinely contacted for screenings, although some might need to initiate contact with their GP first. During the check-up, a female specialist will conduct four breast X-rays. Each appointment normally lasts just 30 minutes. NHS England further explains: "For every 100 people who have breast screening, four will need further tests. "This does not necessarily mean you have breast cancer. Most people who need further tests do not have breast cancer. You will be invited for a breast assessment appointment. "If you're worried or have any questions, you can speak to a breast screening nurse over the phone before your appointment. Your invitation for further tests will tell you how to contact them. "...The specialist team will tell you when and how you will get your results, depending on which tests were done." Macmillan Cancer Support has a free helpline that's open every day from 8am to 8pm. They're there to listen if you have anything you want to talk about. Call: 0808 808 00 00
