‘You are awesome’: Dame Deborah James thanks supporters in video recorded just before her death from cancer after raising more than £11M for her Bowelbabe Fund in the last seven weeks of her life
- Dame Deborah James launched the Bowelbabe cancer research fund last May
- New video shows she thanked her ‘awesome’ supporters for raising £11.3million
Dame Deborah James thanked her supporters for helping her raise more than £11million for bowel cancer in the final seven weeks of her life in previously unseen footage from an upcoming documentary about the campaigner.
Never-before-seen video recorded shortly before her death shows the so-called Bowel Babe telling her ‘awesome’ supporters that she is beyond grateful for their donations.
Debs, who was made a dame by Prince William for her fundraising efforts, died last June aged 40 following a five-year battle with bowel cancer. She had launched the Bowelbabe cancer research fund to raise money for research into personalised medicine for cancer patients.
At the same time, she announced she was receiving end-of-life care and would be looked after at her parents’ home in Surrey.
A new documentary about Dame Deborah’s life – titled ‘Bowelbabe: In Her Own Words’ – will air on BBC 2 in the coming weeks and give fans an intimate insight into the campaigner’s bittersweet journey from living with incurable disease, to Damehood and to her untimely death.
Footage recorded before her death shows Dame Deborah James telling her ‘awesome’ supporters that she is beyond grateful for their donations. She is pictured in the video
Dame Deborah (pictured) launched the Bowelbabe cancer research fund last May to raise money for research into personalised medicine for cancer patients. At the same time, she announced she was receiving end-of-life care and would be looked after at her parents’ home in Surrey
Dame Deborah’s family and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) revealed today that the former deputy head teacher helped raise £11.3million before she died.
She also left behind a video message expressing her gratitude over the success of her campaign and her plans for how the funds raised would be used.
‘One thing I wanted to do before I passed away was to set up the Bowelbabe fund,’ Dame Deborah said in the video, which was released today.
‘I wanted to set it up to ensure that more people can benefit from some of the things that I benefited from.
‘We will ensure that more people have access to personalised medicine, clinical trials, cutting edge technology to help more and more people live longer with cancer.’
She added: ‘Every penny counts. I cannot thank you enough for your support of the Bowelbabe fund. You are awesome.’
Dame Deborah’s family and Cancer Research UK revealed today that the former deputy head teacher helped raise £11.3million before she died. Dame Deborah (right) is pictured with her husband Sebastien Bowen (left) and their children Hugo (centre, back) and Eloise (front)
Dame Deborah (pictured) died last June following a five-year battle with bowel cancer
Deborah James (left) was made a Dame by Prince William (right) for her fundraising efforts
CRUK has also announced the initial research projects that will receive Bowelbabe funding.
One study will look at laying the foundations for new precision treatment that could stop bowel cancer spread. It will be led by Professor Trevor Graham, director of the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at the Institute of Cancer Research, London.
Inside Dame Deborah James’ final weeks: Click here for more on how the late cancer campaigner worked on a documentary featuring unseen footage and personal voice notes right up until the end of her life
The former deputy head teacher, who was known to many as Bowelbabe, passed away from bowel cancer last summer
Another project, involving a team of leading scientists, will look at targeting microbes that might cause bowel cancer.
This team has already discovered a type of bacteria that increases the risk of bowel cancer in some people under 50 and is exploring whether it might be possible to target these bacteria to reduce bowel cancer risk.
A further project, led by Dr Oleg Blyuss from Queen Mary University of London, will look at using artificial intelligence and blood tests to detect the earliest signs of cancer.
At the Royal Marsden cancer hospital in London, an advanced IR X-ray machine will also offer better imaging resolution that will allow more patients to be treated.
The projects announced today, collectively totalling around £4 million, are the first round of funding, with more projects due to be confirmed later this year.
Dame Deborah’s husband, Sebastien Bowen, said that his wife would be ‘incredibly proud’ of the campaign’s success and the ‘huge impact’ it will have on life-saving bowel cancer research.
‘I’m immensely proud and humbled to continue the work that Deborah started,’ he said today.
‘We’ve taken some time to select the first round of funded projects, and are pleased to announce them today.
‘There is some fantastic, cutting-edge bowel cancer research and brilliant awareness activity taking place, and we know that Deborah would be behind this every step of the way.’
He added: ‘As a family, we’ve been overwhelmed by all the support the fund has received, and to raise £11.3million is just incredible.’
Dame Deborah and Mr Bowen share two children – Hugo, 15 and Eloise, 13 – who are understood to be ‘really excited’ about the upcoming projects.
A portion portion of the money donated to her Bowelbabe Fund has now been earmarked to fund five projects in partnership with some of the UK’s leading cancer charities. Dame Deborah is pictured above
Dame Deborah (pictured during treatment) was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016. She continued to raise awareness about the disease until her death on June 28, 2022
Mr Bowen told The Sun today that his family has ‘committed to continuing Deborah’s legacy’ by finding more ways to help people suffering from and ‘prevent this horrible disease.’
He stated: ‘The kids and I are immensely proud of their mum and her legacy.’
Michelle Mitchell, Chief Executive of CRUK, added: ‘Dame Deborah James was a force of nature, doing all she could to raise awareness, fundraise and campaign.
‘The overwhelming support the fund has received is a true testament to how many lives she touched.
‘We’re deeply honoured to be working with Deborah’s family to continue her legacy through the Bowelbabe Fund and are grateful to everyone who has donated.
‘The fund will be fuelled by Deborah’s spirit of rebellious hope, and the projects announced today are the first step in continuing Dame Deborah’s legacy to bring hope for a better future for people affected by cancer.’
The fund will continue to raise as much money as possible, CRUK has said.
Dame Deborah’s husband, Sebastien Bowen, said that his wife would be ‘incredibly proud’ of the campaign’s success and the ‘huge impact’ it will have on life-saving bowel cancer research. The couple are pictured together in April 2019
Dame Deborah was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016. She continued to raise awareness about the disease until her death on June 28, 2022.
The former deputy head teacher, who was known to many as Bowel Babe, intimately detailed the last five years of her life online.
Her candid posts about her progress and diagnosis – including videos of her dancing her way through treatment – won praise from the public and media alike.
She launched the You, Me And The Big C podcast in 2018, alongside Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland.
In May 2022, the podcaster revealed that she had stopped active treatment and was receiving end-of-life care at her parents’ home in Woking, Surrey, with her husband and their two children on hand.
Dame Deborah launched the You, Me And The Big C podcast in 2018, alongside Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland. The podcasters are pictured together
The Dame also wrote and published her second book How to Live When You Should Be Dead , while suffering from cancer, detailing how developing a positive mindset was key to enabling her to cope with her diagnosis
In the months leading up to her death, Deborah had Prince William over for tea, who made her a Dame.
Living life on her own terms despite her illness, she designed Charity T-shirts a clothing line to raise millions more for her Bowelbabe fund.
The Dame also wrote and published her second book How to Live When You Should Be Dead, while suffering from cancer, detailing how developing a positive mindset was key to enabling her to cope with her diagnosis.
She told her children to ‘take chances and experience life now’ and to marry for love in a heartbreaking final letter.
BOWEL CANCER: THE SYMPTOMS YOU SHOULDN’T IGNORE
Bowel, or colorectal, cancer affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum.
Such tumours usually develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps.
Symptoms include:
- Bleeding from the bottom
- Blood in stools
- A change in bowel habits lasting at least three weeks
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme, unexplained tiredness
- Abdominal pain
Most cases have no clear cause, however, people are more at risk if they:
- Are over 50
- Have a family history of the condition
- Have a personal history of polyps in their bowel
- Suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease
- Lead an unhealthy lifestyle
Treatment usually involves surgery, and chemo- and radiotherapy.
More than nine out of 10 people with stage one bowel cancer survive five years or more after their diagnosis.
This drops significantly if it is diagnosed in later stages.
According to Bowel Cancer UK figures, more than 41,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK.
It affects around 40 per 100,000 adults per year in the US, according to the National Cancer Institute.
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