The charity set up by Dame Deborah James has risen by thousands amid a huge outpouring of support after it was announced that she had died at the age of 40. The Bowelbabe Fund surged past £6.8m in the hours after it was revealed the 40-year-old mother-of-two had lost her battle with the disease.
The fundraiser is part of her lasting legacy. Since first finding out about the illness in 2016, she has worked tirelessly to raise awareness and increase understanding of the condition. Genevieve Edwards, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said that Dame Deborah leaves a "tremendous legacy".
READ MORE: The beautiful tributes that have poured in for Dame Deborah
Ms Edwards told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "She never stopped raising awareness. Bowel cancer is something people find difficult to talk about often and don't really ... they find it a little bit embarrassing. She's stripped all of that away and shone a powerful light on it."
Teresa Whitfield, who was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer after seeing Dame Deborah talking about symptoms on TV, told the programme that Dame Deborah saved her life. Asked what she would say to Dame Deborah's family, Ms Whitfield, now cancer free, said: "I think I actually have only one word which is thank-you.
"Without her, I don't think I would be here today. Her campaigning is critical and we, as bowel cancer patients, as bowel cancer survivors, and as anybody who thinks they might have bowel cancer, we have to carry on with the legacy that she has. We have to carry on campaigning to raise awareness."
Writing in her blog in early 2017, Dame Deborah described the symptoms that resulted in a discussion with a doctor over the possibility she had the illness. Aged 35 at the time, she was a vegetarian, not overweight and not a smoker, but still was diagnosed with a stage 3 bowel cancer, reports Wales Online.
Deborah wrote that she was initially told by her GP she must have IBS because her blood tests and stool sample came back fine. But she said: "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."
It was only when she paid privately for a colonoscopy that her "ugly 5.5cm cancerous, ulcerated tumour" was discovered and her treatment began. Deborah, whose children were nine and seven when she was first diagnosed, said that she had first noticed a change in her bowel habits two years earlier but was told that she was likely to be suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second biggest cancer killer. It affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and the rectum, and mainly develops from pre-cancerous growths called polyps. Nearly 43,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK and there are currently around 268,000 people living with it in the UK today.
Deborah's symptoms were among the most common signs of bowel cancer.
What are the main symptoms of bowel cancer?
The symptoms of bowel cancer can include:
- Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo
- A persistent and unexplained change in bowel habit
- Unexplained weight loss
- Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason
- A pain or lump in your tummy
Most people with these symptoms don't have bowel cancer. Other health problems can cause similar symptoms. But if you have one or more of these, or if things just don't feel right, go to see your GP.
Sometimes a tumour can block the bowel, causing sudden strong pains in the stomach area, bloating and feeling or being sick. This is called a bowel obstruction. You may also be unable to empty your bowels or pass wind. If you think you have a blocked bowel, see your GP straight away or go to a hospital accident and emergency department.
1. Bleeding
There are several possible causes of bleeding from your bottom 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. 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. 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. Tiredness
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. Pain or lump
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.
Could these symptoms be anything else?
Most people with these symptoms do not have bowel cancer, but if you have one or more or if things don't feel right, visit your GP. Your symptoms could be caused by other common conditions that can be treated or controlled by your GP, such as:
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Piles (haemorrhoids)
- Anal fissures
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Diverticular disease
- Crohn's disease
- Ulcerative colitis
What increases risk of getting bowel cancer?
The factors that increase the risk of bowel cancer are much the same as with any cancer. Smoking, an unhealthy diet high in processed meat, a lack of exercise, obesity and alcohol will all increase the risk.
Bowel Cancer UK lists the highest risk factors as follows:
- Aged over 50
- A strong family history of bowel cancer
- A history of non-cancerous growths (polyps) in your bowel
- Longstanding inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Type 2 diabetes
- An unhealthy lifestyle
How can I reduce my chances of developing bowel cancer?
Scientists believe around half (54%) of all bowel cancers could be prevented by having a healthier lifestyle. Eat healthily with lots of vegetables and a diet high in fibre, avoid processed meat, don't smoke, avoid alcohol or do not exceed the recommended limits, take regular exercise and keep weight within a normal BMI range.
Who can use a home test kit to screen for bowel cancer?
Generally, anyone aged 60 and above will be sent a home test kit every two years. You may also be given one if you have a family history of bowel cancer. The home test kit is not generally given if you start having symptoms of bowel cancer, as a referral for hospital investigations would be more useful at that point.
What happens after recognising the red flag symptoms of bowel cancer?
A referral to a bowel cancer specialist is needed, and investigations should be undertaken. These might include a flexible sigmoidoscopy, a colonoscopy or a CT scan. Surgery is normally always required. This may also be backed up with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
**Information for this article was taken from the Bowel Cancer UK website and Michael Carson, senior litigation executive at Patient Claim Line.**
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