In her final years, Dame Deborah James used her terminal diagnosis of stage four bowel cancer to inspire the public and raise millions for charity.
That former deputy headmaster and podcaster, who has died aged 40, gained more than 900,000 followers on social media as he documented the highs and lows of his treatment with a unique sense of humor and optimism.
As one of the co-hosts of the BBC podcast You, Me and the Big C, she has participated in candid discussions about cancer, which can be both serious and mild, with conversations often laughable. .
In his final days, his campaign brought him fame and his Bowl Babe fundraiser for Cancer Research UK crossed the £6 million mark.
Dame Deborah was working as deputy headmaster in December 2016, a few days before Christmas, when a consultant told her that a colonoscopy showed she had a large tumor.
She had the usual symptoms – weight loss, bleeding on the way to the toilet – but put them down to being a busy working mom.
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Dame Deborah James with Steve Bland, a co-host on You, Me and the Big C Podcast (PA)
A GP had previously said Dame Deborah might have irritable bowel syndrome and the tests showed no irregularities.
She never got a follow-up appointment and was told that the symptoms were stress related, but she said her “sixth sense” told her something was wrong.
It was only when she paid to see a private specialist that she finally received a diagnosis.
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At just 35 years old, Dame Deborah was told she had stage four bowel cancer and was unlikely to live to 40.
Despite her diagnosis, she remained optimistic and began to document her treatment on social media and in a newspaper column.
Against the odds, December 2021 marked five years since her diagnosis.
“I know full well that I shouldn’t be alive to write this today,” she wrote on Instagram.
“But the best advice I was given was to not think too much about the ifs, and accept whatever the challenge is in the here and now, and do it little by little – and then we would You can get away!”
Dame Deborah initially co-hosted the You, Me and the Big C podcast with Lauren Mahone and Rachel Bland.
Bland died in September 2018 at the age of 40 after being treated for breast cancer, and her widower Steve has since become a regular on the show.
In early May 2022, she shared a blog post on social media announcing that she had stopped active treatment and moved to hospice-at-home care, with doctors telling her they did everything they could. could.
Her post prompted sentiments online.
I don’t think I deserve it. I can’t tell you what this means for my family, there’s so much toDeborah James, on her captivity
She returned to her parents’ home in Woking – a bungalow with a garden – where she was joined by her husband Sebastian and their young children, Hugo and Alois.
Speaking to The Times, she explained that she had set up a “to-do death list” and that the first item was recording her children’s letters that they could open when they died.
She praised her husband and revealed that he had given her “strict instructions” to proceed after his death.
“He’s a handsome man; I’m like, ‘Don’t go for the ride, don’t marry a bimbo, find someone else who can make you laugh like we did’, she said.
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Dame Deborah James has appeared on Shameful Bodies to raise awareness of bowel cancer (Alamy/PA)
Dame Deborah also set up a fundraiser on the JustGiving website with what she believed to be an optimistic £250,000 target. Within four days, he had raised more than 16 times.
As of Friday after treatment was discontinued, more than £4 million had been donated to Cancer Research UK.
It went on to raise over £6 million over the weekend.
In another surprise, Number 10 announced that it was being honored with an award for its “tireless campaign”.
Dame Deborah later said that she felt “honoured and shocked” to even be considered for the honor.
Unusually, his damehood was conferred by the Duke of Cambridge at the family home, where he was joined by him for afternoon tea and champagne.
Damehood is usually given by members of the royal family – but also at ceremonial ceremonies in royal palaces, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
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Dame Deborah accompanied her husband Sebastian Bowen on a private tour at the Chelsea Flower Show (The Harkness Rose Company/PA).
He continued his campaign by announcing that he had written another book titled How to Live When You Can Be Dead, in which he learned how to keep a positive mindset when facing life’s biggest challenges.
Despite not being published until August 2022, the book reached number one on the Amazon list via pre-orders, with royalties going toward its Bowelbaby fund.
The podcast host then released a clothing line with In the Style, with 100% of the profits going to charity.
In her last days, she also attended the Chelsea Flower Show, where she saw a rosy pink rose, which was named after her.
As well as hosting his “last instant party” after his brother Benjamin became engaged to his long-term partner, Ashley Hall.
