Never be too scared to get yourself checked out

When Hope Thurgood felt a lump and breast pain, she saw a GP quickly. Here, she tells Hannah Britt why people should never worry about ‘wasting’ their time

- Hannah Britt

Waiting for the results of her breast ultrasound felt like the longest 10 minutes of Hope Thurgood's life, but it's an appointment she will never regret making. It was January 2024, and Hope, then just 21, had been volunteering for CoppaFeel!, the UK's only youth-focused breast cancer awareness charity, for just three months when she spotted changes in her own chest.

“I was in Manchester, starting the final year of my degree when I first heard about CoppaFeel!’s University Volunteer programme,” recalls the 22-year-old from Liverpool.

MILESTONE

The activities run by Manchester's Uni Boob Team appealed to her sense of fun, too. “They ran monthly ‘Booby Brew’ social events, and the team made funny TikToks to encourage people to check themselves,’ recalls Hope, telling her story as part of this year's Asda Tickled Pink campaign to encourage customers and colleagues around the country to check their chests for signs of breast cancer.