Prince William has heralded “brilliant, brave and inspirational” cancer campaigner Dame Deborah James as he met some of the staff who have treated her.
William made the comments as he visited the Royal Marsden Hospital in Central London today, where he met he nurses and medical specialists who cared for the cancer campaigner, who is now receiving end of life care.
The prince also donned medical scrubs and viewed first hand pioneering robotic surgery delivering faster, more accurate treatment to cancer patients.
He told how he was blown away by meeting her last month, as he made a personal visit to her family home to give her her Damehood, saying: "I loved meeting her, she was fantastic - her legacy is massive.”
Deborah, who goes by the name Bowel Babe, has raised more than £6.5million in just three weeks after announcing that her five year battle with bowel cancer was coming to a tragic end.
Speaking to patient Lorraine Kimber, 59, from Essex, who is currently undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer and knows Mrs James well, the prince described his meeting with her.
“She was incredible, incredible. She was surrounded by her family, we had a lovely afternoon,” he said.
Mrs Kimber remarked that he had been able to help her “create some fantastic memories”.
Dame Deborah, 40, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, but rather than accept her diagnosis that she may have a year to live she battled to make her 40th birthday.
Love the royals? Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter to get all the latest news on the Queen, Charles, Kate, Wills, Meghan, Harry and the rest of The Firm. Click here to sign up.
She became a celebrated campaigner and known for giving a candid account of her treatment via the You, Me and the Big C Podcast.
William privately visited her at home in Woking, Surrey, where she has been discharged for home hospice care with her family.
The future King said: “You know she’s had over 100 tumours.
“Which is unbelievable. I couldn’t believe that.
“The resilience you have to have to keep going back again, it’s got to be very draining on you.”
Consultant Interventional Radiologist Dr Nicos Fotiadis, who also treated Dame Deborah, thanked William for going to see her at home as it sent a “powerful’ message.
He said: “You lead from the front and we are very happy about that.”
The royal replied, slightly embarrassed at the praise: “No, no. It is important to acknowledge and recognise people like Deborah who do such an awful lot to help other people in very difficult circumstances. She’s done a brilliant job.”
In a bitter sweet moment William described how Dame Deborah joked she could now "drink" and was "triple parked" with glasses lined up as they celebrated her damehood.
William joked "as she put it, she made bowel cancer sexy, those are her words not mine!", when he visited the Royal Marsden Hospital in central London to watch a cancer patient undergo cutting-edge treatment provided by a robotic surgeon.
Mrs Kimber said: ‘She’s been an ambassador for everyone.
“She is amazing inside and out.
“We all have our own difficult cancer journeys and for her it’s been over five years, but she always, always took time out for other people.
“We go to meet literally in a chemotherapy clinic and we built our friendship through that. I saw first-hand the time she took for people.
“And going forward, what she has done is fantastic for the Marsden, fantastic for the cancer community and what a legacy we have. And she is still thinking of others even now.
“I have been honoured to call her a friend. It’s difficult now.
“The team here are incredible. It’s an absolute privilege to be a patient here.”
The prince was then introduced to the team of staff who treated her: chief nurse Mairead Griffin, deputy chief nurse Jo Waller and ward sister Rowena Trono.
He told them: “She was on amazing form when I saw her.”
Ms Waller replied: “She always is, she is always brightly dressed, always got her hair and make-up done.
“Doing Tik Toks with the staff and patients. And forever sitting outside in the sunshine to meet other patients. Waving at people outside. Just so positive.”
William said: “She was joking…because they are a very tight family, very close, you could see that….she was joking that at last she could now drink.
“She said it was brilliant. She was ‘triple parked’ and kept on joking about how many drinks she could get lined up in front of her.
“I love Deborah, she’s fantastic. Her legacy is massive. I was very honoured to be able to speak to her.
“It felt like a very personal family moment that I was there for. It was a glorious day as well. Thank you to you all for what you have done for her. She spoke very highly about her care. It was a touching moment.”
William added that he met Deborah’s two children and praised the “lovely family” for all they had battled through together.
Speaking to the staff, William added: “Thank you so much for looking after her so well. She is a brave and inspirational woman.”
Dame Deborah has raised more than £6.5 million for Cancer Research UK, Bowel Cancer UK and the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity through her Bowelbabe fund on Just Giving.
She originally set herself a £250,000 target and received donations from a huge number of supporters including William and his wife Kate.
The cancer campaigner is a former headteacher who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 and has kept her Instagram followers, who number more than 500,000, up to date with her treatments.
Ward sister Rowena Trono praised her former patient, saying she is "full of inspiration not only to all the patients but also people who worked in the trust".
She added: "Keeping positive really helps her... keep on going and continuing fighting and it's also a privilege to be part of her journey."
