Talking about breast health can be a sensitive subject, but a senior at the Universty of Denver (DU) knows its an important topic that needs to be discussed.
Amelia Coomber, a senior in the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, found a way to encourage the conversation, and has become a top innovator because of it.
For Coomber, it all started with the cleverly named, "Boobi Butter," a product she created to promote monthly self-breast exams and preemptive care.
She came up with the idea after receiving a unique gift from a friend, a homemade salve for her breasts.
"She gave me one; I tried it, and I was like 'whoa' I've never put anything on my boobs," said Coomber. "It smells really good and this is awesome."
So she started doing some research about her risk.
"Even if I don't have family history, what's the likelihood that I would develop it? Really the results I found were so shocking. One in eight women will be diagnosed, and if you're under 40 there is nothing for a woman to do you know to take preemptive action to make sure they are protecting themselves," Coomber said.
That's how "Boobi Butter" was born, a box of products aimed to help women manage their breast health by decreasing inflammation, increasing circulation in a women's breast and educating women about monthly self-breast exams.
"Things they need to know, what to look for, how to find it, and how to feel empowered while doing it," she said. "Cancer is a really scary thing and so we try to approach it as you have the power, if anything, to detect it early and here's how you do that."
Not long after came "Norma," an app that acts as a digital journal - allowing women to record any changes they notice, right on their phone so they can "know their normal."
Coomber brain-stormed "Norma" at an innovative startup tech event in Denver. She and five other women teamed up to create the app and it earned them an invitation to an international innovation competition in Paris, France.
While women of all ages can use Boobi Butter and Norma, Coomber says she hopes the products and app will encourage younger women to monitor their breast health.
"We're kind of trying to fill that market gap of women who - they don't have any resources. They know about breast cancer, they've run the races, they've raised the money, but how do they protect themselves individually?" she said.
Coomber and fellow DU senior, Julia Farrell, place third out of 22 teams from 15 different countries along with their other teammates, Lauryn Dempsey, Sienna Magee, Rachael Medialdea and Miriam Haart,
You can purchase a Boobi Butter box as a single box, or a subscription box you would receive every three months.
For more information about Boobi Butter, and how to purchase it, click here.
Coomber's team is now updating and fine-tuning the Norma app.
It will soon be available on both Android and Apple devices.
