Breast cancer can happen to anyone. Including those living with a muscle wasting condition, or any disability which may impact the ability to check your chest.
That’s why we’re collaborating with youth-focused breast cancer awareness charity CoppaFeel! to develop a new piece of health information.
In September 2024, at the Third Sector Awards, CoppaFeel! won an award for the film they produced with Black Women Rising UK, which they created to redress the lack of Black skin representation in breast cancer communications.
A conversation that day opened a discussion about another under-represented part of society – those with a disability.
How do you check your chest if you don’t have the sensation of touch or the ability to apply pressure due to weakened muscles? Who should you ask to help?
“How do you check your chest if you can’t cop a feel?”
Acknowledging and addressing existing health inequities and societal barriers is important to us and the team at CoppaFeel!
In October 2024, to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Becca and Chloe, who both live with a muscle wasting condition, shared their experiences of checking their chests.
But this was just the beginning. We knew that opening the conversation was important to encourage, educate and empower people to get to know their bodies and check their chest, in a way that they’re able to.
Sharing individual stories is one way of raising awareness, but we wanted to go further. Together with CoppaFeel! we want health information and resources that are tailored, relevant and accessible for all. In this case, new checking guidance for people who may need assistance.
We don’t know what this new health information will look like yet, but for it to be relevant, it needs to be informed and guided by input from people living with disabilities. That’s why collaboration is so important.
In May and June 2026, we worked with CoppaFeel! and held two focus groups to discuss some of the barriers and challenges people have encountered when checking their chest, as well as potential solutions. The conversations and insights helped to form a survey to be shared more widely within the community to gain further input.
After the survey closes, CoppaFeel! will review all responses and start to develop new information specifically designed for people who may currently have difficulty checking their chest without assistance. This will involve further input from our community as well as medical experts.
The new information will be available from autumn 2026.
