Glittering a Turd: How surviving the unsurvivable taught me to live: The Sunday Times Top Ten Bestseller

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If you want to share the story of how you've glittered your turd, send a voice note or WhatsApp to the Turd Hotline >>> +44 (0)776 923 7544 Her outlook on cancer and living with cancer is so life affirming. I’ve mentioned it before but I’ll mention it again for the sake of this review; I lost my father in 2017, 9 months after a terminal diagnosis of cancer and the whole time was a horrible, difficult, turd of a time, and it would have been very easy to crumble. As I’m sure Kris did at times, but she also learnt how to live. Yes she was given a terminal diagnosis, but cancer diagnoses are no longer always the death sentence they once were. She was given 2-3 years life expectancy and here she is, over ten years later. There can’t be a better title than this one. Glittering a Turd is the story of Kris Hallenga, CEO of Coppafeel the charity which encourages people to examine their breasts and pecs, twin sister to Maren, and a force of nature who by the way has cancer..Kris explains the choice of title much better than I could, but suffice to say being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 23 is pretty much * This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/GAT today to get 10% off your first month. When I heard youngsters on a bus chatting about what they had learned about breast cancer in school that day, I silently thanked Kris and CoppaFeel for finally putting cancer awareness on the national curriculum so that all young people would have the chance to be educated about how to advocate for their health.

In the very same setting where I and my friend work, another colleague has a daughter who was told by a MALE GP that her bleeding between periods was likely due to rough sex with her boyfriend!! After pushing to get a cervical smear, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and subsequently treated!! But in my community (myositis), it seems like being a woman, and being a woman of colour, already makes you start with a disadvantage. In this episode, Laura opens up to Kris about the highs and lows she experienced while living out her ‘blue crush dream’, including a fierce battle with bulimia that consumed her at the height of her years in competitive sport. She speaks candidly about some of her darkest moments, her fear of failure and pinpoints the exact moment she realised that she needed help.But Darren’s journey hasn’t always been smooth. His father died by suicide while in prison when Darren was just 11 years old. As he and Kris sit down for a chat, he explains what a profound impact this had on his life, how it became a catalyst for him exploring the world of comedy, his experiences with therapy and the difficult years that fell in between. The beaming and infectious Gaby Roslin has been a much loved stable on our TVs and Radios for over 30 years whether it was hosting the Big Breakfast, Children In Need or on various radio shows or more recently on her own podcast. GUYS! You only went and funded my book in THREE DAYS. I am pretty sure that's some kind of record. I am truly flabbergasted by the enthusiasm, the love, the support and BELIEF in me. I was truly terrified to launch this crowdfunder (I genuinely very nearly postponed)but you've given me the biggest boost imaginable and OH MY GOSH *breathe* I AM WRITING A BOOK. Kris's story should make you feel grateful for every second you're alive. It's a testament to her positivity, empathy, bravery and her unfailing sense of humour' Dermot O'Leary

There is just so much I could say about this book but I won't. You need to read it yourself to really absorb the joy you get from it (yes, a weird word to choose about a book written by a wonderful human with Stage 4 cancer but you'll get it when you read it).Hallenga said: “This book will shine a new perspective on survival. I‚Äôve survived the un-survivable for 11 years, and am slowly figuring out why. It‚Äôs my discoveries that can help the most ordinary of people, with the most normal of life‚Äôs problems, learn from a normal girl with an extraordinary story. In doing so I hope to take away the very conditioned fear that has been instilled in us at the word ‘cancer‚Äô.” You can buy Nastaha’s first fiction book ‘Toxic’ here - https://uk.bookshop.org/books/toxic-9781912979899/9781912979899 Hallenga founded Coppafeel!, which educates young people about the signs and symptoms of cancer, after she was diagnosed with Stage 4, secondary, incurable breast cancer aged 23. She was told she stood a one in10 chance of surviving beyond five years and Unbound said the launch marks 11 years since her diagnosis. It is becoming a common theme to have doctors dismiss or misdiagnose patients with these kind of diseases... and one thing that seems like a common denominator is that the patient usually is a woman. It was in the last 3 memoirs I listened to, but those 3 memoirs were also by women.