‘Beat the C’ short film: Raising awareness for breast cancer in young people
In the UK, it is rare for people under the age of 40 to be diagnosed with breast cancer. However, on average there are still around 2 '500 young women in particular who are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, according to Breast Cancer Now.
‘Beat the C’ is a short film dedicated to raising awareness for young people and the experience of having breast cancer in your 20s and 30s. Wanting to make a full-feature film, the production team is now in need of funding through crowdfunds and investors.
‘Beat the C’: From idea to short film
Adam Csomor is a boudoir photographer and founder of Green Turtle Productions. When asked how he came up with the idea to make a documentary, he said he was contacted by his close friend who had recently completed chemotherapy in her 30s, saying she wanted to be a part of a shoot that would make her feel confident and beautiful with her surgery scars.
Headshot of Adam Csomor: Copyright permission given by Adam Csomor
Headshot of Adam Csomor: Copyright permission given by Adam Csomor
Adam said: “At the beginning of the first lockdown she found a lump in her breast. So she ran to the doctor straight away, and they said to her it is nothing serious because she's too young, so they gave her anti-inflammatory without any further checks.”
He continued: “But then a couple of months later, she noticed the discoloration in the same area so she went back and this time it turned out that it was stage four breast cancer, and she had a secondary brain tumour. They had to remove it, and she went through chemotherapy, radiation and everything.”
What is the short film about?
The short follows Georgia Chapman, who was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in her 20s. Georgia, along with her family and friends, discuss the struggles of being diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age because it is not talked about enough, in the hope that sharing their story can guide other young women and families to be more aware that this can happen even if it is more rare.
“Georgia was absolutely brilliant and open and she invited us into her life and to share her story. So that's why we were able to create the short version.”-Adam Csomor
When speaking to Georgia, she said having her friends and family involved in the short gave them “another bond,” seeing them talk about it made her feel emotional because they would try to act as if everything was normal.
Georgia said: “They wanted things to be normal for me but this was not a normal situation.”
Adam said: “So the short version was more just creating awareness about this issue. My main focus was to try to pack as much information in as possible. So we created awareness about this issue, and how professionals do overlook younger females. Also, I wanted to teach younger women how important it is to self check because they know their body the best and if you check regularly they know what is normal, and what is not. And if they find something, they can then go to their doctor.”
Adam described the research process on social media and with doctors, saying he was so surprised when women of a similar age also came forward and expressed their comfort in seeing a younger woman with breast cancer scars on social media, as this was not seen very often in chemotherapy waiting rooms or on breast cancer wards.
He said: “We just had more and more clients who have or had breast cancer. I realized it is much more common than I expected, and all of this had a huge impact on me."
Georgia’s Story
Georgia described her experience of being diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in 2021, when hospital restrictions meant she was alone for her appointments and treatments. She described the other patients looking at her with ‘sad eyes’ because she did not fit the stereotypical age bracket for breast cancer.
She described the difficulty of looking at reference photos of what women’s body and skin looks like after chemo because they were of women in their 50s to 80s whereas her body and skin didn’t look like that.
Georgia started posting her journey from diagnosis to cancer-free on Instagram because, as she said, messaging people became ‘constantly exhausting’ and she felt she needed to make her journey more public to stop these messages.
Sharing her story publicly has been a validating experience; a safe space where she can vent. “I wanted things to change, things needed to change,” she said.
Georgia added: “You're not alone anymore. And suddenly you’re sharing tips on different wigs, the best things to have during chemo, sex life during treatment, IVF if you want to have children, good bras, all things that the older ladies would not always feel comfortable sharing. And now I have made some amazing friends and had some amazing opportunities.”
Georgia has been a Welsh ambassador for Race for Life for Cancer Research, walked for a Breast Cancer Now fashion show, and modelled for 'Lounge' underwear, all for free as a “charitable cause,” she said.
Next Steps?
But this is not the end of ‘Beat the C.’ Adam wants to create a full feature film, describing his idea as an ‘emotional roller-coaster,' expressing both sides of a cancer journey with multiple cancer survivors.
He also expressed his interest in breast cancer in men which Adam believes is not discussed enough.
Green Turtle Productions have set up crowdfunding pages in order to raise the money to fund the full film.
Adam said, “We did the short version as proof of the concept, so hopefully if we can show this to as many people as possible, we can get more help and do the full production soon.”
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