From A — G, boobs are on an endless scale of shapes, weights and sizes. As personal a topic as they can be, many young people are too embarrassed to get to know their own chest and can’t tell one lump from another. So how can you tell if there is something to be concerned about or not?
October made space for vulnerable voices with breast cancer awareness month, the time that many raise the alarm about breasts, chests and pecs and how to tell if they’re healthy. From self-checking at the same time each month, to noting colour or texture changes, the message is consistent: just keep checking. But with the month now behind us people may shift their attention. Kelly Crump, breast cancer “thriver”, influencer and Sports Illustrated model, is desperate for everyone to be informed all year long.
For Crump, this issue is an on-going one, having received her diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer in 2017. Now 43 years old, the wellness guru tells me she doesn’t fit the “survival story” genre while still dealing with the daily grind of chemotherapy, exercise, careful dietary choices and cancer-related fatigue.
But her self-proclaimed “cancer influencer” lifestyle blends the expected elements of Instagrammable idealism with the realism of an ongoing cancer patient. Dance trends in the hospital ward and ‘get to know me’ challenges with her oncologist team show an insight in to her day-to-day life with treatments, mental and physical struggles and finding support. As her Instagram bio reads: “If you are looking for a fantasy, this account is not for you. If you want an escape from reality, this account is again not for you.”
Coining the term ‘cancer influencer’ was at first a joke, she says, that led to an audience who resonated with Crump’s experience. “Part of it is because I was mocking myself – I’m not from the generation where we have influencers. But this is the path that’s been chosen and actually has a lot of power behind it.
“When I was initially diagnosed with the first cancer, I stayed completely off Instagram. I found it overwhelming and stressful. I just had that fear of missing out on everything, so I just couldn’t see it.
“I felt like people didn’t want to hear [about cancer] unless it was a cancer specific page. It changed one day when someone said to me ‘I follow both of your pages. I follow your happy page and I follow your sad page.’ That’s when I thought, that is not what I want people to think – so I deleted that.”
Over lockdown, Crump’s page grew to 5,000 followers sharing photos and videos of her diet, exercise and medical treatments.
The model’s story hit the mainstream when she found confidence to apply for the Sports Illustrated Swim Search 2022. She made the list alongside finalists who may never have been considered just a decade earlier. Chuffed at the thought of being considered a model before her illness, she admits that it was never a real option for her before her cancer diagnosis.
“I started modelling after I was diagnosed. I had a traditional role in corporate America with big companies and back when I was growing up models were all 5”10 and up and really, really small because it was the 90s. Since the body positivity movement and people looking at different shapes, sizes and standards of beauty - that’s when I started modelling.”
The diverse set of 14 rookies alongside Crump included a brain tumour survivor, the magazine’s first indigenous model and NASA physicist.
“I didn’t value my body prior to that. I think going through what I went through and actually having organs and parts removed is, I realised it doesn’t matter. I was also 42 at the time, which is not how I thought things would happen.”
Almost 90 chemo treatments later, the London-based corporate-collar-turned-activist is discovering the bounds of progress while sharing her life with 27,500 followers on Instagram. “Survivorship – it is a bit of a loaded word.” she said. “A lot of people talk about ‘survivors’ and some people say ‘thriver’ because I haven’t actually survived cancer at this point in time. I still have active cancer going through my body. I’ve survived going through treatments, going through all the mental things and the physical changes. Yes, I’ve survived that but I’m also living with it.”
Rock bottom for Crump was worsened by the cancer-related fatigue, losing her hair and unexpectedly gaining weight on the breast cancer drugs. “You’re on steroids, so I went from seeing myself and knowing myself in the mirror one way to literally within three weeks being a completely different person. I couldn’t look at myself for about six months – my mental health and body image took a beating.”
After her first round of chemotherapy treatments and a double mastectomy with reconstruction, doctors found a new five centimetre tumour. Sadly, the incurable, but very treatable, cancer continued to spread from her neck down to her torso leaving her on an upkeep of chemotherapy every 21 days - and a lifetime of keeping it at bay. Although the cancer awareness advocate lives a normal life to the outside eye (now with a full head of hair, a model’s physique and a side hustle to boot), Crump keeps her limits in mind when managing her on-going illness and thinking of the things she wants to achieve.
“The biggest takeaway I’ve had since is that I was pushing my body way too hard, way too fast all the time. I wasn’t really taking the time to rest when I needed rest and listen to my body. Now I schedule one thing a day and that’s the only thing I try to do and get done because I know what my body can handle now with treatments.”
Slow but steady movement has been the way forward as Crump advocates “walking, walking, walking” – but at your own pace. And the stats prove her campaign effective, as a recent study by cancer care provider GenesisCare revealed that regular and guided exercise had a positive physical and mental change in around 60 per cent of their breast cancer patients, while the American College of Sports Medicine found a 40 per cent reduction in mortality amongst cancer survivors following exercise intervention.
Former Sports Minister and breast cancer survivor Tracey Crouch found massive benefits to regular movement while dealing with her illness. “Having undergone treatment for breast cancer, I’ve experienced first-hand the benefits of how important it can be to stay physically active during treatment. And in my role as sports minister, I was a huge advocate for the well-rounded benefits of exercise in day-to-day life – I truly believe there’s so much in the world that exercise can help to solve.”
Like Crump, Crouch found solace in walking when she could. “During my breast cancer treatment, I would walk to my appointments as well as making time to get out on my bike,” she added. “[It] not only helped me manage the side effects of the treatment itself but also helped to build up my strength. I would strongly encourage anyone who receives a diagnosis to talk to their doctor or nurse about how they can best support themselves through exercise and keeping active.”
Far from focused on body image alone, Crump regularly posts about her fitness regime and fundraising treks. Just last year, she hiked the Scottish highlands in collaboration with Team Boobs for CoppaFeel! – and this year plans to traverse 100km across the Sahara desert with Giovanna Fletcher. The charity is working to raise awareness for under 35s with the disease – a small but significant minority of those who suffer from breast cancer. While understanding her own boundaries and taking it one step at a time, Krump also hopes to inspire others by summiting the highest point in North Africa.
“I want to show people that you don’t have to always give up. You can do the things that you’ve dreamed about doing and keep going. As we have new drugs and treatments, people are living longer so it’s important to live your life and find joy.”
