Inspirational Women. Dame Deborah James. One woman’s crusade to raise awareness of bowel cancer.
It was with great sadness that the family of Dame Deborah James affectionately known as BowelBabe , announced on Tuesday 28.06.2022 that she had passed away surrounded by her family.
Until May 2022 Dame Deborah James was relatively unknown, despite her having been an active cancer campaigner since 2016. However, on the 9th of May 22 when she announced that she was no longer receiving active care & was receiving end of life care, her story suddenly captivated people around the world.
Deborah James, as she was formerly known, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016. A former deputy head teacher, Deborah started a cancer blog & Instagram page & was praised for her no-nonsense approach to speaking about living with cancer. Following the success of her blogging, Deborah began writing for the Sun in 2017 & became a BBC broadcaster.
Deborah’s co-hosting of BBC Radio 5 Live’s award-winning podcast about living with cancer, You, Me & the Big C where she worked alongside broadcast journalist Rachael Bland, (who died of breast cancer in 2018) & Girl Vs Cancer founder/activist Lauren Mahon; gave Deborah an audience who embraced her frank discussion surrounding taboos traditionally associated with speaking about cancer.
Deborah’s first book ‘F*** You Cancer: How to Face the Big C, Live Your Life and Still Be Yourself’ was published in 2018 & was an honest exploration about living with cancer & how she encouraged people to live every single day to the full, whilst also raising awareness of how to check for cancer – in particular the symptoms of bowel cancer – & how to tackle taboos surrounding cancer.
In between cancer treatments, Dame Deborah James ran charity marathons, organised charity balls, & took part in many fundraising events. Continuing to actively campaign throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, she made a podcast with her children, ‘The Good Stuff’ which promoted positive thinking & ways to find happiness.
In April 2021, Dame Deborah James launched the annual #NoButts bowel cancer awareness campaign on Lorraine Kelly’s ITV show, Lorraine. The interview was run again in April 2022.
As her health began to deteriorate, Dame Deborah James asked that her final wish be for a fund to opened in her name to raise money for projects close to her heart, including clinical trials, personalised medicine & awareness campaigns, with links to charities including Cancer Research UK, Bowel Cancer UK & the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. (1)
“Before I die, the one thing I knew I wanted to do was set up a fund that can continue working on things that gave me life,” she said. She hoped the Bowelbabe Fund, set up on 9 May 22, would raise £250,000. It has already raised more than £6m. (1)
On the 12th May 2022, Deborah James was made a Dame for her incredible work campaigning for & raising money for cancer awareness & treatments & breaking all protocols, the title was bestowed upon her by Prince William at her parents home in Surrey.
In the last few weeks of her life, Dame Deborah James attended RHS Chelsea, Glyndebourne, launched a fashion range & posted about an incredible sleepover she celebrated with her daughter & family. But all the while, her Instagram account gave no illusion that the smiling face of this incredible woman was not hiding extreme fatigue & the knowledge that her death was imminent. Posting on Instagram in May 2022 she said “Making memories can be hard when you are dying! Oh the pressure!”
Dame Deborah James has opened the discussion & encouraged millions to be frank about cancer, to talk, to dismiss taboos & above all to check your body & report any changes to a medical professional.
Her Bowelbabe fund will be continued in her name by her family & her second book, How To Live When You Could Be Dead, will be released on 18th August.
In a final message published by her family on Tuesday 28th June 22, Dame Deborah said: “Find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope. And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life.”
Written & cited by Katy-Jane for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd.
