Ms Hallenga received national awards for her work raising awareness of breast cancer (Picture: Getty)
Kris Hallenga, the founder of leading breast cancer charity CoppaFeel!, has died after 15 years of living with the disease.
Hallenga, who died aged 38, started to raise awarneness of the illness after being diagnosed with it at the age of 23.
Working alongside her sister Maren, she went on to win national accolades for her pioneering work encouraging young people to regularly check their breasts.
In a tribute, her colleagues said she ‘approached life in a wildly creative, fun and fearless way, and showed us that it is possible to live life to the full with cancer’.
A statement on her social media added: ‘She hasn’t lost a battle, she wasn’t in a fight and she certainly wouldn’t want you to see her death as tragic. She was simply living. She was 38 and she died with fulfilment and a heart full of love.
‘Her final message from her to you would be one that probably involved checking your chest, getting in some cold water, talking more about death and dying, that even the turdiest of turds are glitterable, that you should always see the silly side of life, that she LOVED her life and that giving Neighbours 2.0 is worth another chance.’
Metro.co.uk Deputy Editor Claie Wilson, who knew Kris for eight years, said: ‘Kris was amazing, awe-inspiring and a force to be reckoned with, all in equal measures.
Friends said Kris ‘lived life to the fullest and made every day count’ (Picture: WireImage)
‘I knew her for eight years and in my experience if she said she was going to achieve something she would.
‘Whether that was running a half marathon just before vital surgery or trekking 58km across Iceland, when she really probably shouldn’t have. (But I am so glad she did and I got to do it with her.)
‘She also said in 2009 she was going to set up a charity for young women with breast cancer, so no one had to go through what she had, being diagnosed at just 23.
‘And, by god, did she do that. It’s a charity that has raised millions over the years and no doubt saved countless lives. It’s a charity that has brought people together and supported them endlessly.
‘Of course, Kris did all this with her twin sister Maren by her side, who was also a wonderful and lovely force to be reckoned with.
‘I’m proud to have worked with Kris and CoppaFeel! in previous jobs and also here at Metro, when we partnered CoppaFeel!’s music festival Festifeel.
‘But mostly, I am so proud to have known Kris. She was a woman who lived her life to her fullest and made every day count. It’s something we should all do, but often forget – but I am certain Kris never did.’
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