Kris Hallenga Keynote Speaker

Kris Hallenga discovered a lump on her breast June 2008, and eight months later, following a frustrating fight to discover what was happening, Kris discovered not only that she had breast cancer, but that it had spread to her spine. Kris was – is – at stage four, the most advanced type of cancer. There is no stage five. Straight away, Kris was thrown into a routine of radiotherapy, five months of chemotherapy, and yet more radiotherapy.

As Kris became stable, she turned her shock and anger into pure energy, immediately making it her full–time mission to encourage her friends, her generation, and young people everywhere to keep hold of their wonderful, carefree lives by getting to know their boobs – and appreciating the fact that breast cancer can affect young people, a message often overlooked by breast cancer organisations.

Kris founded CoppaFeel! the first charity of its kind. Having been started by Kris and her twin sister Maren just one month after Kris’s diagnosis, within weeks Kris had appeared on TV and in national press, raising huge funds for CoppaFeel!, and sharing her story in the hope of keeping others.  She was invited to a Downing Street reception and won a Pride of Britain Award.

Through Kris’ guidance and hard work CoppaFeel! has become an award winning charity, that through tactical marketing, successful ambassador schemes, roadshows and PR, has become a household name while reminding over 100,000 per month to check their boobs.

Kris’ story and the fact that it is possible to live with cancer was told in BBC3 documentary “Dying to Live” which was watched by over 500,000 people. She also writes a weekly column detailing her life with cancer for The Sun.

In 2015 Kris received an Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration from Nottingham Trent University in the same year that she was named “Outstanding Young Campaigner of the Year” at the DFS Woman of the Year Awards. These followed her Cosmopolitan Ultimate Campaigner Award in 2011.

After a secondary breast cancer diagnosis, Kris is not cancer free – and perhaps never will be. But she’s keeping as well as she can, being kept stable and strong with the help of new-fangled treatments and a vibrant life”, but continues to make a success of CoppaFeel!, not only refusing to let cancer wreck her party but refusing to let it ruin yours too.