Dame Deborah James 1981-2022

29 June 2022 — david-allen

In 2019, Deborah kindly agreed to speak at a fundraising event for us. We’d met up a few weeks before to discuss everything. It was so lovely to meet her – she was juggling so many things but just wanted to help. She was determined to raise awareness and we were so pleased to have her on board. She arrived at the swanky West End venue looking amazing. It was a quiz night full of famous faces and Deborah was scheduled to appear later in the evening. The event was going brilliantly and the moment came and she got up to do her stuff. The room was quite rowdy by this point, and as she walked on to the stage she got one of her Louboutins caught in the flooring. She laughed it off and began talking. Within moments the room was silent. Even the staff stopped clearing the tables and the bar men were still. As she shared her story you could hear a pin drop. She didn’t look like you’d expect someone with cancer to look. She talked bluntly and honestly.She used humour, but she didn’t shy away from the truth. Ever. We raised a lot of money that night and it was all down to Deborah.

Deborah James was a force to be reckoned with. She was determined, despite the fear and the pain and the uncertainty, to make a difference. She turned what was happening to her into movement for change. She campaigned, she championed, she created a platform which she used to achieve quite phenomenal things. Even in the last weeks she did so much to ensure that what was happening to her was going to mean something. 

She has already saved so many lives through her campaigning on the early signs of bowel cancer. That work has seen big brands now take notice. She loved dressing up and looking fabulous, but she also wasn’t afraid to dress up as a poo and dance down the street. Or to share the reality of what was happening as she spent so much of the last year in hospital. 

And of course she was a real source of inspiration and hope for so many. Rebellious hope. Through and through. She has shown what the cancer community is all about. Supporting each other. Inspiring each other. Sharing the reality of a life lived with cancer. She touched so many people and that cancer community is left devastated by her loss.

Her legacy will live on. That rebellious hope remains with us to continue the work to raise awareness, to campaign, to support, and to do everything we can to do better in our fight against cancer. Not only has she saved so many lives already, but the extraordinary amount of money she has raised and will continue to raise through the BowelBabe Fund will improve treatments and outcomes for years to come. And she has galvanised the cancer community to continue raising our voice. 

It’s hard to imagine that someone with so much life and determination has gone. But we remember the final words she left us with:

“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.”

Our thoughts are with Deborah’s family.