The CoppaFeel campaign has seen a huge success with research indicating the significant impact it's had on breast cancer awareness.
When was the last time you checked your breasts?
The Sun's Page 3 teamed up with Breast Cancer Charity, CoppaFeel! in March 2014 for the Check 'em Tuesday campaign to help boost early detection of the disease - the UK's most common cancer - by encouraging women to get to know their breasts.
Six months later, UK women are four times more likely to check their breasts after seeing the campaign - which has won the support of thousands of Sun readers and celebrities.
Significantly, four out of five women who saw the campaign are now confident that they know how to spot for signs of breast cancer - up 20% from two thirds at the start of the campaign. More ladies now know to look out for puckering/dimpling of breast skin, redness in the breast skin or nipple rash as well as a lump.
Charity founder Kris Hellenga says: "It's amazingly encouraging. Having done this for over 5 years we have used all sorts of tactics of getting through to young people; we'll go to festivals, we'll go to universities, and we'll go to schools. We do lots of face to face campaigning but having given the opportunity to speak to 6 million people every Tuesday and remind them of the signs and symptoms and actually remind them to check their boobs and for them to actually start doing that and changing their behaviour, that's pretty good and obviously makes us want to do it more."
The campaign has also given women the confidence to go to the doctor and let nothing stand in their way. Nearly two thirds of Sun readers who saw the campaign say they would immediately go to the doctor - up from 46% for the UK population overall.
Speaking about why it's taken such a big campaign to get women to check their boobs, Kris says: "Why is it that Coppafeel has to do this? The reason we started it because I was diagnosed with breast cancer late and was told my cancer can't be cured because it was found late and I was 23 at the time and there was no education for young people and no one was telling young people get into this habit now because the chances of you getting breast cancer in your lifetime are high. So you stand a really good chance to ensuring its find it early by getting to know your boobs now because early detection saves lives. So I don't why but I do know that because of Coppafeel that's changing."
Men are also more aware of breast cancer as a result of the campaign. The research found that male Sun readers are more likely to speak to their partners if they thought there was something unusual and believe it is just important for men to know symptoms as women.
Kris says: "A lot of breast cancers are found by partners. A huge portion of them are and it totally makes sense as obviously they are checking your boobs and touching them or feeling so that's really important. So it's just as important for your partner to get to know the signs and symptoms as well so they know what they are looking out for.
"The aim of Check'em Tuesday was to get Sun readers to start checking their boobs and start making it a habit, giving them the confidence to notice if there was something not right with their boobs and that's what we have done. I mean ultimately with Coppafeel our aim is to ensure every woman stands the best chance surviving breast cancer and in order to do that she needs the education and the knowledge of how to do that and obviously with The Sun every Tuesday we've done that and it's the consistent messaging that has obviously led to a higher awareness, higher confidence level and these women now feel educated about the signs and symptoms."
Brand awareness of CoppaFeel! has also shot up with a huge 85% of Sun readers remembering the campaign. A number of brave women have also come forward to speak about how the Check 'em Tuesday campaign has saved their lives.
Speaking about the women who have come forward, Kris says: "It obviously makes all of this worthwhile. It's the reason Coppafeel exists. Obviously I'm proud. I'm proud that hard work pays off but ultimately it proves that what we are doing works and otherwise I wouldn't do it if it's not working. Obviously the proof is in the pudding. This is very much the pudding its bittersweet pudding I have to say. I don't want to hear of people being diagnosed with breast cancer but these women have found it early and therefore they stand a better chance of surviving it which is what we want."
Wendy Bush - a 42 year old mum of four girls found a small rash on her left breast that she would have normally ignored. But after seeing the campaign, she went for a check-up which revealed she had cancer. Wendy has now had successful surgery.
Another amazing story is Eva Shelton, an 81-year-old gran that felt a lump while in the bath after reading about the breast cancer awareness campaign. She spotted the disease early and doctors were able to stop it spreading.
Susan McGhee - the 65 year old mum checked her breasts after reading the Sun and spotted a tiny lump. Susan had a mastectomy and was given the all-clear just six weeks later.
And Sarah Freeman - the 34 year old mum checked her breasts after seeing the launch of the campaign in The Sun. She found two lumps that she hadn't noticed before and decided to go to the doctor to get them checked out. She discovered she had the disease but fortunately found it early enough for a lumpectomy to be the extent of her surgery and continues to do well.
These are just some great examples of why it's important that women check their breasts - when was the last time you done yours?
Kris says, when it comes to checking your breasts: "Ultimately it's easy to do and there is no right or wrong way of doing it. I think a lot of women get caught in the "if I'm not doing it right I'm not going to bother" and so they don't it at all but there is actually no wrong or right way it's just about getting to know what they feel like and look like normally. So once you know what normal feels like for you then you are in a much better position to say this doesn't feel right for me because I have been checking my boobs for years or months you know."
To find out more about how to check your boobs properly visit: www.coppafeel.org
Tagged in Health Women's Health