The Boob Bus is Coming to Loughborough
Today sees the arrival of The Boohoo Boob Bus to the Student’s Union. This giant, pink bus is helping to promote the CoppaFeel! charity, which students have been supporting at Loughborough for the past few years. The returners may be aware that CoppaFeel! joined with Label’s Style section last year to create a fabulous fashion show in aid of charity.
So what’s the appeal of the bus –apart from it being pink? The aim is to raise awareness about ‘enlisting your little soldiers’ to regularly check your breasts. Kris, the founder of the charity and winner of the Pride of Britain Award, was just 23 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009. Kris’ blog reads:
“I have been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, which means that not only did cancer claim my boob, it also found a home on my spine. If you and I believe the statistics, it ain't looking good for me”. Not what your average 23 year old would expect.
At first, she was passed around doctors on the assumption that the lump in her breast was down to hormones, because ‘breast cancer is an older woman’s disease’. While the statistics may be higher in older women, the possibility of developing breast cancer still exists in younger people.
This applies to you men as well; whilst breast cancer is viewed as a feminine problem, men have breast tissue and can develop it as well. So, even though men and women differ in many ways, we have the shared incentive that we can take in order to understand and check our bodies for any abnormalities. Early detection can make a big difference.
Lauren Leftly, Loughborough’s CoppaFeel! representative has been encouraged by Kris to help spread the message for early detection and puts on events such as the Boob Bus, an informative treat for everyone enjoy. She told Label:
“After working with the Uni Boob Team for CoppaFeel! last year, I was inspired to apply as Team Leader for Loughborough's Campus; and I got the role! I'm very excited to start planning and organizing events to help spread the charity's message with the help from our boob team.”
So what can you do? Don’t be embarrassed, it’s your body to love and appreciate. So come on down to ‘coppafeel’ with the Boob Bus today between 10am and 4pm outside the Student’s Union to register for the free monthly text reminder to check yourselves. You will be given a card with information of how to check those ‘boobies’ of yours, with a list of signs and symptoms. As an added bonus, the Boob Bus will be full of clothes to provide a sneak preview to what you can purchase with a 20% discount code for boohoo.com when you register for the text reminder.
If you, like Lauren, want to get involved with supporting the CoppaFeel! charity, look out for more upcoming events this year. You can also check out the website for more information -http://www.coppafeel.org/ – and keep updated on today’s events on twitter with #Boobbus.
Emma Spencer
