Deborah James dies: How 'Bowelbabe' could inspire more to check for symptoms of colorectal cancer

Dame Deborah James, who touched the hearts of millions across the UK by chronicling her five-year battle with terminal bowel cancer, has died at the age of 40, her family said on Tuesday.

The British mother of two had been making headlines ever since she announced on May 9 that she had very little time left and was being moved to end-of-life care for terminal bowel cancer.

In the space of seven weeks, she raised more than £6.75 million (€7.8 million) for Cancer Research UK via her Bowelbabe Fund.

She had tea with Prince William, was honoured with a damehood and even inspired retailer Marks & Spencer to add information about the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer on its toilet roll packaging.

The former headteacher, who leaves behind a husband and two teenagers, has put the spotlight on bowel cancer in an unprecedented way, reaching a younger public with her @bowelbabe Instagram account which has over 900,000 followers.

With her story came the realisation, for many, that bowel cancer can kill even young and healthy-looking patients if it’s not caught early enough.

Researchers estimate that by 2030, the disease will have become the deadliest cancer for people aged 20 to 49. Cancer organisations suspect lifestyle factors such as obesity, alcohol and processed meat consumption may be playing a role in this earlier onset, but research into the causes is ongoing.

A post shared by Deborah James (@bowelbabe)

Zorana Maravic, head of the umbrella patient organisation Digestive Cancers Europe, told Euronews Next that bowel cancer prevention would be much easier if more people, as James did, spoke openly about the disease.

Maravic drew a comparison to the impact Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie had on raising awareness of breast cancer. “We