Six women seek breast cancer treatment after seeing Spalding musical comedian Zeph Churchill’s Is It Me Or Is It Hot In Here? as theatre tour continues around Lincolnshire
Six women have sought medical treatment after seeing a hilarious one-woman show that prompted them to check themselves for breast cancer.
Zeph Churchill, from Spalding, is a former nurse turned musical comedian and her show Is It Me Or Is It Hot In Here? has potentially saved the lives of women in the year since her first performance.
The show breaks taboo subjects about menopause, ageing, breast cancer and incontinence. Zeph has reached some 4,000 people - with performances in Lincoln, Stamford, Spalding, Norwich and King’s Lynn as well as corporate events. Zeph is also the face of a national advertising campaign for bladder care company Jude.
She said: “Since I started my theatre tour six women have contacted me through social media.
“They found symptoms on their breasts such as dark marks, itchy nipples and discharge, puckering, and lumps
“They all had treatment and are now breast cancer survivors.”
In Zeph’s 27-year nursing career statistics have dramatically changed - with one in 20 women potentially having breast cancer when she first started nursing. #
Now it affects one in seven.
She said: “In general practice I would only reach around 300 women a year so the show reaches a far wider net.
“There is good evidence that a serious message delivered with humour releases dopamine and helps people retain that information.
“Bouncing the education off humour and vice versa is a really effective way to promote health.”
Zeph handles subjects that are still considered taboo for women - such as perimenopause, bladder weakness and ageing - using funny jokes, imagery, songs and hard facts.
Armed with a pair of huge knitted breasts she demonstrates how to check for lumps and what to look out for that may be a symptom of breast cancer.
Although primarily aimed at women, the show touches upon men’s health too and crosses generations.
She said: “Quite a lot of young people have come to see the show.
“They have told me they can now understand what their mum, girlfriend or aunty are going through.
“Men have waited at the stage door after a show saying thank you so much - now I can help my wife.”
A powerful message that Zeph promotes is to ‘normalise the normal’ when it comes to the menopause and women’s health.
Perimenopause can last as long as seven years and she busts some of the myths around menopause to show it is a normal part of a woman’s health journey.
She said: “Telling women about checking their boobs in between mammograms is vital as many didn’t realise they should.
“It is about health empowerment, to live as your authentic self
“My show is a comedy with a health message - breast cancer is preventable and very treatable if caught early.”
Zeph will be delivering a talk to John Lewis staff in London later this month and her last theatre show of 2024 is at The Embassy Theatre, Skegness on Saturday, November 30.
Marie Fuller is the founder of healthcare clinic ElysiPhi Medical in Long Sutton and went to see Zeph’s show at the Guildhall, King’s Lynn for the first time.
She went with women who had attended a casual group chat about menopause experiences at Pippa’s Pantry in Sutton Bridge.
Marie said: “Zeph’s show was an absolute triumph.
“The health promotion messages that she portrayed to the audience were delivered in such a way that I could not see anyone not going back home, slapping on some HRT and checking their breasts immediately.”
Next year’s tour of Is It Me Or Is It Hot In Here? will restart in 2025 with a show in Louth and return to the South Holland Centre on October 17.
Zeph will be writing an accompanying book and further information can be found here https://zephchurchill.com/
If you have been affected by any of these issues visit Rock My Menopause and Breast Cancer UK for further details.
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