A record number of people in England are having bowel cancer checks after the death of Deborah James, the NHS has said.
James, who is also known by her social media handle Bowel Babe, had been raising awareness about the disease until her death in late June at the age of 40.
Between the months of May and July, 170,500 people referred for checks for suspected lower gastro-intestinal cancers, according to the NHS. This is an increase of more than 30,000 people compared with the same period in 2021, and nearly 80,000 higher than the same period two years ago.
The figures also show that referrals for bowel cancel hit an all-time high in mid-July, which is an increase of 60% compared with pre-pandemic levels. A total of 200,000 more people also checked bowel cancer symptoms on the NHS website in the past three months.
Cally Palmer, the national cancer director for NHS England, said: “Thanks to the brave and relentless campaigning of Dame Deborah James, bowel cancer has come to the forefront of a national conversation on catching cancer as early as possible, and the fact that we have seen record numbers of people coming forward for bowel cancer checks shows people are taking the illness seriously and speaking to their GPs about it.
“It is so important that we continue the work of Dame Deborah to raise awareness of bowel cancer and save more lives, so to anyone who has noticed symptoms, please do come forward.”
Genevieve Edwards, the chief executive at Bowel Cancer UK, said: “People visiting bowelcanceruk.org.uk has never been higher, with tens of thousands more people seeking information about the symptoms of the disease since Dame Deborah James’ tragic death.
“There was also a spike in people affected by bowel cancer posting on our forum, contacting our Ask the Nurse service, and we know that people have visited their GP as a result of hearing her story.”
In early May, James revealed 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. James, who was diagnosed in 2016, shared her journey with more than a million followers on Instagram.
When she was made a dame, James said she felt “honoured and shocked” to be considered for the honour.
Her husband, Sebastien Bowen, has spoken about the difficulties of the past few months he spent with the former deputy headteacher, whom he married in France in 2008.
Bowen previously told the Times: “She was making the most of every last moment. But that was her. That is how I will always remember Deborah – the ability in the worst of times to embrace life.
“More than anyone I know she loved life, even more so when it became so short and each minute counted.”
