Glittering a Turd
"This honest and beautiful book is a story of resilience and doing life your way."— Fearne Cotton, author of Bigger Than Us: The Power of Finding Meaning in a Messy World
"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, The X Factor
"A manifesto for how to be alive. It will leave you calm, hopeful and unafraid." — Dawn O'Porter, author of So Lucky
Kris was living a totally normal life as a twenty-three-year-old: traveling the world, falling in love, making plans. However, when she found a lump in her breast and was told that it was not only cancer, but also incurable, life took on a completely new meaning. She was diagnosed at an age when her adult life was just beginning.
But, to her surprise, cancer led her to a life she had never considered: a happy one. From founding a charity to campaigning at festivals to appearing on TV, and being present at the birth of her nephew, she found a way to survive and thrive.
Glittering a Turd is more than just another cancer memoir; it’s a handbook for living life to the fullest, shining a new perspective on survival and learning to glitter your own turd, whatever it might be. Kris survived the unsurvivable for fifteen years. This is her story.
Kris Hallenga was diagnosed at twenty-three with Stage 4, secondary, incurable cancer. She and her twin sister Maren founded the first breast cancer education charity, CoppaFeel!, which raises over £2 million per year, successfully campaigned to change the school curriculum, and has saved many lives. She received a Pride of Britain Award, a Cosmopolitan Campaigner of the Year Award, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Nottingham Trent University. Kris died in May 2024 aged thirty-eight.
