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| Love for Dame Deborah James breathtaking, says husband | Love for Dame Deborah James breathtaking, says husband |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Watch: Dame Deborah's daughter Eloise reminds people to "always have rebellious hope" | |
| Watch: Dame Deborah's daughter Eloise reminds people to "always have rebellious hope" | |
| The husband of cancer campaigner Dame Deborah James, who died last year, has remembered the broadcaster's "fighting spirit" in an emotional BBC interview. | The husband of cancer campaigner Dame Deborah James, who died last year, has remembered the broadcaster's "fighting spirit" in an emotional BBC interview. |
| Sebastien Bowen said Dame Deborah had "seized everything that life offers...right until the final moment". | Sebastien Bowen said Dame Deborah had "seized everything that life offers...right until the final moment". |
| He said the public "outpouring of love" in her final weeks was "breathtaking". | He said the public "outpouring of love" in her final weeks was "breathtaking". |
| He added that he and their two children would do "everything we possibly can" to prevent bowel cancer, after a fund started by Dame Deborah reached £11.3m. | He added that he and their two children would do "everything we possibly can" to prevent bowel cancer, after a fund started by Dame Deborah reached £11.3m. |
| "It was inspiring and beautiful to see how everyone showed, through the donations, the impact that she'd had on hundreds of thousands of people's lives," he told BBC Breakfast. | "It was inspiring and beautiful to see how everyone showed, through the donations, the impact that she'd had on hundreds of thousands of people's lives," he told BBC Breakfast. |
| He added: "There's also a kind of sadness, just reflecting back on it all - that she had to go through all of this - because the reality is she didn't, in the sense that she had symptoms months before she was actually diagnosed. | He added: "There's also a kind of sadness, just reflecting back on it all - that she had to go through all of this - because the reality is she didn't, in the sense that she had symptoms months before she was actually diagnosed. |
| "If, somehow, we had just been able to truncate that period - from symptoms to diagnosis - she probably would still be with us today." | "If, somehow, we had just been able to truncate that period - from symptoms to diagnosis - she probably would still be with us today." |
| "But I guess that just fuels us on even more to make sure it doesn't happen to other people," he said. | "But I guess that just fuels us on even more to make sure it doesn't happen to other people," he said. |
| "Hopefully all of us working together - all the charities working, together with more public awareness, we'll be able - maybe not [to] defeat bowel cancer but at least change the odds that people have." | "Hopefully all of us working together - all the charities working, together with more public awareness, we'll be able - maybe not [to] defeat bowel cancer but at least change the odds that people have." |
| Bowelbabe was set up in May 2022, a month before Dame Deborah's death, to raise money for Cancer Research UK, with an initial target of £250,000. | Bowelbabe was set up in May 2022, a month before Dame Deborah's death, to raise money for Cancer Research UK, with an initial target of £250,000. |
| "The amount that could be achieved with that £11m is beyond what anyone could realise at this point," said Dame Deborah's 15-year-old son, Hugo. | "The amount that could be achieved with that £11m is beyond what anyone could realise at this point," said Dame Deborah's 15-year-old son, Hugo. |
| "I hope that it could save thousands, tens of thousands of lives if possible - and I think the way it's going, it could save more." | "I hope that it could save thousands, tens of thousands of lives if possible - and I think the way it's going, it could save more." |
| Dame Deborah's cancer fund raises £11.3m | Dame Deborah's cancer fund raises £11.3m |
| 'Deborah told me she didn't want to die', says mum | 'Deborah told me she didn't want to die', says mum |
| Tailored cancer care - Dame Deborah's fundraising legacy | Tailored cancer care - Dame Deborah's fundraising legacy |
| Dame Deborah was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, aged 35, and became an outspoken campaigner, encouraging people to check for signs of the deadly disease. | Dame Deborah was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, aged 35, and became an outspoken campaigner, encouraging people to check for signs of the deadly disease. |
| All of the family spoke about her "message of positivity", even in those final weeks, and how she "embodied rebellious hope". | All of the family spoke about her "message of positivity", even in those final weeks, and how she "embodied rebellious hope". |
| "If you don't stay positive, you just think about the negatives and that really brings you down," said her daughter, Eloise, 13. | "If you don't stay positive, you just think about the negatives and that really brings you down," said her daughter, Eloise, 13. |
| "She always used to say - if it ever rains just go out and feel the rain on your face because you're so lucky and privileged to be alive," said Mr Bowen. | "She always used to say - if it ever rains just go out and feel the rain on your face because you're so lucky and privileged to be alive," said Mr Bowen. |
| "There will be a lot of people who understand what that means, in terms of how lucky we are just to live life on a day-to-day basis. So many of us take it for granted but it is really, truly unique and special, and that's what she realised." | "There will be a lot of people who understand what that means, in terms of how lucky we are just to live life on a day-to-day basis. So many of us take it for granted but it is really, truly unique and special, and that's what she realised." |
| The mother-of-two died last June aged 40, a month after receiving a damehood from the then Duke of Cambridge for her fundraising efforts. At the time, she was receiving end-of-life care at her parents' home in Surrey. | The mother-of-two died last June aged 40, a month after receiving a damehood from the then Duke of Cambridge for her fundraising efforts. At the time, she was receiving end-of-life care at her parents' home in Surrey. |
| "It's difficult to say, but I think she died in one of the best ways that you could hope to die with this terrible disease," said her husband. | "It's difficult to say, but I think she died in one of the best ways that you could hope to die with this terrible disease," said her husband. |
| "She died surrounded by her mother, her father, her sister, me - all of us holding her hand, being there for her. It's the first time I've ever seen someone pass away but it was, there was - I think - a peace to it. | "She died surrounded by her mother, her father, her sister, me - all of us holding her hand, being there for her. It's the first time I've ever seen someone pass away but it was, there was - I think - a peace to it. |
| "I think she had done everything that she could have hoped to achieve, she was surrounded by everyone that loved her. What else can you hope for really?" | "I think she had done everything that she could have hoped to achieve, she was surrounded by everyone that loved her. What else can you hope for really?" |
| What are bowel cancer symptoms? | What are bowel cancer symptoms? |
| A persistent change in bowel habit - going more often, with looser stools and sometimes tummy pain | A persistent change in bowel habit - going more often, with looser stools and sometimes tummy pain |
| Blood in the stools without other symptoms, such as piles | Blood in the stools without other symptoms, such as piles |
| Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating | Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always brought on by eating |
| Source: NHS UK | Source: NHS UK |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| Bowel cancer | Bowel cancer |
| Cancer | Cancer |
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