The mother of cancer awareness campaigner Deborah James has revealed she was “naïve” about her daughter’s cancer diagnosis and thought she would be “fine” after six months.
Heather James, 66, a gymnastics coach, was a great support to her daughter before she passed away in June 2022.
Speaking on the How to be 60 podcast on Friday, the late journalist’s mother admitted she didn’t know much about the symptoms of bowel cancer, which can be similar to irritable bowel syndrome, when Deborah was first diagnosed in 2016.
Heather told podcast host Kaye Adams that she hoped awareness of bowel cancer symptoms is improving and becomes as strong as that of breast cancer.
“I totally identify with breast cancer and breast cancer awareness, as opposed to bowel cancer and awareness that didn’t exist, I hope it gets there,” she said.
The mother of cancer awareness campaigner Deborah James has revealed she was “naïve” about her daughter’s cancer diagnosis and thought she would be “fine” after six months.
Heather James, 66 (pictured right), a gymnastics coach from Surrey, was a great support to her daughter before she passed away in June 2022.
She told listeners that she had spent her 60th birthday at a fundraiser organized by her daughter to raise money for bowel cancer research.
To date, her fundraising website bowelbabe.org has raised £16 million for cancer research.
‘I didn’t know anything about bowel cancer, my sister died of breast cancer, so I knew about breast cancer, if you went out for drinks with women would you talk about breast cancer, would you talk about your poop? “No,” Heather admitted.
“She didn’t know, I didn’t know, when she kept saying ‘mom, I’ve pooped eight times today’ and I told her to go to the doctor and she said ‘I did it and it’s fine’, I thought.” that was good.
‘I didn’t know what all the symptoms were, they are similar to irritable bowel syndrome.
“It wasn’t detected in a very young person because it’s not something a fit 35-year-old vegetarian would fit into the program for, so they didn’t screen her.
“I was quite naive, I didn’t know how serious bowel cancer could be, I really thought ‘ok, he has cancer, he will have chemotherapy because that’s what he needs, an operation and he will be fine in six months’.”
“It took me quite a while, I had planned that I would turn 60 in the month that she should have had her last chemotherapy, that unfortunately didn’t happen, on the day I turned 60, Deborah had thrown a party to raise money for bowel cancer, I was actually in the hospital that day.
Heather also reflected on the difficulties she had had visiting her daughter when she was in hospital during the Covid pandemic.
He recalled “heartbreaking” memories of Deborah asking to see her father in hospital, only to have to tell him the most she could do was wave through a window.
Dame Deborah James was a journalist and activist who presented the You, Me and the Big C podcast and spoke about her cancer journey online under the name Bowelbabe.
He died at the age of 40 on June 28, 2022 after a phenomenal campaign to raise funds for bowel cancer treatment.
After being diagnosed with bowel cancer aged 35 in 2016, Deborah became a viral sensation through her social media content as she danced through chemotherapy and lived with “rebellious hope”.
Dame Deborah James (pictured) was a journalist and activist who hosted the You, Me and the Big C podcast and spoke about her cancer journey online under the name Bowelbabe.
Speaking on the How to be 60 podcast, the late journalist’s mother admitted she knew little about the symptoms of bowel cancer, which can be similar to irritable bowel syndrome, when Deborah was first diagnosed in 2016.
Heather, 66, a gymnastics coach, was a great support to her daughter as she battled bowel cancer, before passing away in June 2022.
Bowel cancer can cause blood in the stool, a change in bowel habit, a lump inside the intestine that can cause blockages. Some people also experience weight loss as a result of these symptoms.
Channeling her inner Celine Dion, she started a movement on TikTok to mimic her journey through It’s All Coming Back to Me Now, encouraging other people undergoing cancer treatment to join in and dress in sparkles while in the hospital.
In 2018, she began writing about her illness in the Bowelbabe column and hosted the podcast You, Me and The Big C with Lauren Mahon and Rachael Bland, who died of breast cancer in 2018, aged 40.
In the final months of her life, mother-of-two Deborah launched the Bowelbabe Fund, which raised more than £11 million for cancer charities.
While she spent her final days at her parents’ home in Woking, Surrey, Heather and her father Alistair helped care for their daughter, along with Deborah’s own children, Hugo and Eloise, and her husband Seb.
Heather and her daughter always had a close bond. Her mother was a constant support for the former assistant principal turned cancer activist since she was first diagnosed in 2016.
She was by her side during countless hospital stays, joined Deborah’s viral “chemo dances” and took care of her grandchildren “at the drop of a hat.”
Heather also made sure Deborah’s fans were kept up to date on her condition, sharing updates on her own Instagram page @bowelgran, and stood in for her daughter when she was unwell to attend events.
One such occasion was the launch of the ‘No Butts’ campaign alongside Lorraine Kelly, which aimed to raise awareness of bowel cancer on the Scottish presenter’s daytime show from 19 April to 5 May.
Praising her mother’s appearance, Deborah said on Instagram: “So proud of my mother today for stepping in to help launch the #NoButts campaign with @lorraine.
‘This campaign is something that I am very passionate about. So of course I’m gutted that I’m not well enough to be there in person (yet!).’
In her final days, Dame Deborah launched a clothing line with InTheStyle based on her ‘Rebellious Hope’ mantra.
She also received her Damehood, which was personally presented by Prince William, who came to Woking for afternoon tea in Heather and Alistair’s garden.
Heather continues to campaign for her daughter, regularly warning others about the symptoms of cancer and continues to raise money for her Bowelbabe fund.
