Dame Deborah James has sadly died aged 40 after losing her battle with bowel cancer.
The podcaster and former deputy head teacher was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016 and fiercely campaigned for awareness over the disease, touching the hearts of many with her inspirational story.
Her family paid tribute to her last night as they said was surrounded by her loved ones in her final moments, a statement on her BowelBabe Instagram confirmed.
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In her final words released by her family, she 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.”
Bowel cancer is the UK's second most deadly form of cancer, and is the fourth most common to be diagnosed nationwide. It affects the large bowel - made up of the colon and the rectum - and mainly develops from pre-cancerous growths called polyps.
Before her death, Deborah inspired a huge change to get bowel cancer symptoms printed on packs of loo roll, with Tesco, M&S and Andrex among companies to start listing them.
Her story serves as a stark reminder of the importance of bowel cancer awareness, as many people may not know the symptoms and signs.
Gerard McMahon, Head of External Affairs (Devolved Nations) at Bowel Cancer UK said: “Around 4,200 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer each year in Scotland, and Dame Deborah has been instrumental in raising vital awareness of symptoms of the disease, through the very hardest personal times."
Below are a list of bowel cancer symptoms, risk factors, according to Bowel Cancer UK.
What is bowel cancer?
Bowel cancer is called colorectal cancer, it affects the large bowel, which comprises of the colon and rectum..
The cells in your body normally divide and grow in a controlled way.
When cancer develops, the cells change and can grow in an uncontrolled way.
Most bowel cancers develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. But not all polyps develop into cancer. If your doctor finds any polyps, he or she can remove them to prevent them becoming cancerous.
Bowel cancer can spread to other body parts, such as the liver or lungs.
Bowel cancer symptoms
1. Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
There can be several reasons for rectal bleeding or blood in your bowel movements (poo).
Bright red blood may come from swollen blood vessels (haemorrhoids or piles) in your back passage. It may also be caused by bowel cancer.
Dark red or black blood may come from your bowel or stomach. Tell your doctor about any bleeding so they can find out what is causing it.
2. A persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
Tell your GP if you have noticed any persistent and unexplained changes in your bowel habit, especially if you also have bleeding from your back passage.
You may have looser poo and you may need to poo more often than normal.
Or you may feel as though you're not going to the toilet often enough or you might feel as though you're not fully emptying your bowels.
3. Unexplained weight loss
This is less common than some of the other symptoms.
Speak to your GP if you have lost weight and you don't know why.
You may not feel like eating if you feel sick, bloated or if you just don't feel hungry.
4. Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
Bowel cancer may lead to a lack of iron in the body, which can cause anaemia (lack of red blood cells).
If you have anaemia, you are likely to feel very tired and your skin may look pale.
5. A pain or lump in your tummy
You may have pain or a lump in your stomach area (abdomen) or back passage. See your GP if these symptoms don’t go away or if they’re affecting how you sleep or eat.
Gerard McMahon said: "Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer, and other health problems can cause similar symptoms.
"If you do have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, contact your GP.”
What symptoms did Deborah James experience?
In January 2017, Deborah took to her blog to write about the symptoms she believed were signs of cancer, the Examiner reports.
Her fears were confirmed when she was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer despite only being aged 35.
The news came as a shock for James, as she was also a vegetarian, not overweight and didn't smoke.
Initially, Deborah's blood tests and stool sample did not raise any red flags, leading her GP to suspect she may have irritable bowel syndrome.
James wrote: "And yet I was still losing weight, passing blood, going what felt like 100 times per day and feeling shattered.
"I knew there was something wrong with me."
However, the mum-of-two paid privately for a colonoscopy. This led to her starting treatment after an "ugly 5.5cm cancerous, ulcerated tumour" was found.
Bowel Cancer risk factors
The cause of bowel cancer is not fully known, but there are some factors which increase the risk of contracting the disease.
You are more at risk of getting bowel cancer if you:
- Are aged over 50
- Have a strong family history of bowel cancer
- Have a history of non-cancerous growths (polyps) in your bowel
- Have a longstanding inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Have type 2 diabetes
- Live an unhealthy lifestyle
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