Deborah James: Big C presenter feels ‘utterly loved’ as donations top £1mon May 10, 2022 at 4:31 pm

Podcaster Deborah James has said she feels “utterly loved” after people donated more than £1m to a fund she set up to support cancer research.

Thousands of donations flooded in after James, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016, said on Monday she was receiving hospice care at home.

She told the BBC she was “absolutely mind blown” by the response.

The 40-year-old explained launching the Bowelbabe Fund was the “one thing that I wanted to do before I died”.

The presenter of the BBC’s You, Me and the Big C revealed in a post on Instagram on Monday “nobody knows how long I’ve got left”.

At the same time, James, a mother-of-two, announced the new fund – which has raised just over £1.4m to support research into personalised medicine for cancer patients, and to support campaigns to raise awareness of bowel cancer.

The fund, named after her online handle, will work with the charity Cancer Research UK to allocate the money.

In an interview due to be broadcast on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday, the former deputy head teacher revealed her surprise at the speed at which the smashed through its fundraising goal of £250,000.

She said: “I had a figure in my mind of about a quarter of a million, because I thought that would be enough to fund a good couple of projects across the charities that I wanted to fund.

“But in 24 hours to do a million, I’m like absolutely mind blown and I just cannot thank people enough for their generosity.

“Because it just means so much to me. It makes me feel utterly loved.

“It makes me feel like we’re all kind of in it at the end together and we all want to make a difference.”

After the opening day’s whirlwind fundraising efforts – which has seen donations from more than 85,000 people – James told the BBC that her dying wish was to help raise money for the “things that gave me life”, such as research into new, innovative cancer treatments.

She explained that were it not for such treatments she would have died at least two years ago, adding that she wanted other people to be given the same opportunities.

James said: “Ultimately what I really want to happen is I don’t want any other Deborahs to have to go through this.

“We know that when we catch cancer early, we can cure it. We know that much more investment needs to take place in cancer.”

She added that it was clear the UK has “skills and the passion in the UK” to develop new cancer therapies, but that sometimes a reminder is needed to get a “boost” for funding.

Source: NHS UK

James has kept her thousands of followers on social media updated with candid accounts of her treatment.

Announcing the news of her move to at-home palliative on her Instagram page – @bowelbabe – on Monday, she said it was “the message I never wanted to write”, describing the last six months as “heart-breaking” but also adding that she is “surrounded by love”.

James said her cancer was no longer being actively treated and instead the focus was on ensuring she was not in pain – allowing her to spend time with her “incredible family”, who were all around her.

She began co-presenting You, Me and the Big C alongside Lauren Mahon and BBC Radio 5 Live newsreader Rachael Bland in 2018, with the show earning praise for its frank discussion of cancer.

They spoke to celebrity guests and addressed practical matters including hair loss, tips for dealing with finances and telling your nearest and dearest.

Bland died at the age of 40 six months after the show launched. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer two years earlier.

If you have been affected by any of these issues in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.

James has been praised for her no-nonsense approach to talking about cancer online, and has shared her experiences of treatment and daily life with her social media followers since her diagnosis.

She has worked to remove the embarrassment factor from bowel cancer, and even shared a video of herself walking down the street dressed as a poo emoji to encourage people to watch out for changes to their bowel movements.

After James’ announcement, Radio 1 presenter Adele Roberts, who is herself undergoing treatment for bowel cancer, tweeted, telling James she was “an inspiration and a hero” and thanking her for her work to raise awareness.

Roberts had surgery for bowel cancer six months ago. She is now on her final cycle of chemotherapy and has returned to the station’s weekend breakfast show.