Sebastian, husband of Dame Deborah James, has revealed how he struggled as he watched his wife escape death from bowel cancer.
Appearing on BBC Breakfast with his children Hugo, 15, and Eloise, 13, Sebastian paid tribute to his wife’s legacy as the fundraiser totaling more than £11m was announced, adding that they are sticking by her motto of having ‘rebel hope’ .
He revealed to the program that his wife passed away somewhat “peacefully” surrounded by her family at the age of 40 in June 2022.
Meanwhile her teens They talked about how ‘incredible’ it was to see her grow up, as their grandmother Heather took to Instagram to share her pride. Eloise wore a poppy dress from her mother’s InTheStyle collection, which helped raise money for cancer charities.
Deborah’s husband, Sebastian Bowen, also spoke about the agonizing process of watching his wife die, speaking publicly for the first time since her death.
“It was just a tough, tough time,” he admitted. “It’s hard to explain how difficult it really was.”
Sebastian said Deborah always “wanted to look forward to something” – and that she “kept doing it right up to the end”.
He also spoke candidly of having “peace” until her death.
Eloise, who wore a dress from Deborah’s InTheStyle collection that was designed in the last weeks of her life, also thanked the supporters for their “incredible” contribution.
The dress Eloise wore was from Dame Deborah James’s InTheStyle collection which was white and printed with red poppies.
Deborah’s husband, Sebastian Bowen, also spoke about the agonizing process of watching his wife die, speaking publicly for the first time since her death.
Hugo also said that the family still stresses the importance of the “rebel hope” that his mother always urged everyone to have.
“The truth is, it’s hard to say, but I think she probably died in one of the best ways you could have wished to die of this terrible disease,” the father-of-two told the programme.
She died surrounded by her mother, father, sister and me, all of us holding hands…
It was about as possible and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen someone die but I think there was peace to it.
“I think she did everything she hoped to do.”
Sebastian said he and his family are now determined to do everything they can to make life with the disease easier.
“There is a strong underlying impulse, let’s prevent that,” he urged. “Hopefully if we all work together…we may not be able to defeat bowel cancer but at least change the odds that people experience it.”
Recalling telling his children, on the day of the funeral that “If we can get through this together, I think we can get through anything”, Sebastian said the message remained true to them.
“I think that stuck with us…we’re a very strong unit that I like to think,” he added.
Meanwhile, Deborah’s children reflected on their mother’s legacy, which they are still very proud of today.
“It’s amazing to think of… well first of all the legacy it is,” Hugo, 15, told the show.
Footage recorded before her death shows Dame Deborah James telling her “amazing” supporters that she is incredibly grateful for their donations. Captured in the video
Dame Deborah (pictured) launched the Bowelbabe Cancer Research Fund last May to raise money for research into personalized medicine for cancer patients
Deborah (left) has been named a Dame by Prince William (right) for her fundraising efforts and has now raised £11.3m
“And secondly, the amount that can be achieved with 11 million is just, I think it’s beyond what anyone could possibly realize at this point.”
Hugo also said the family still stresses the importance of the “rebel hope” that his mother always urged everyone to have.
He added, “It means, no matter what, there is always something going on that will keep you going.”
Eloise, who wore a dress from Deborah’s InTheStyle collection that was designed in the final weeks of her life, also thanked supporters for their “incredible” contribution and opened up candidly about finding happiness in her mother’s wellness journey.
She reveals that she and her mother would dance every second, especially if Deborah had a bad day after chemotherapy.
She explained, “It was nice that you liked helping with things because you didn’t think about it, you were just dancing.”
It comes as Deborah this week thanked her supporters for helping her raise more than £11m for bowel cancer in the last seven weeks of her life in previously unseen footage from an upcoming documentary about the activist.
A never-before-seen video recorded shortly before her death shows the so-called Bowel Babe telling her “amazing” supporters that she is incredibly grateful for their donations.
At the same time, she announced that she would receive end-of-life care and be cared for at her parents’ home in Surrey.
A new documentary about Dame Deborah’s life – titled ‘Bowelbabe: In Her Own Words’ – will be broadcast on BBC Two in the coming weeks, and will give fans an insight into the Campaign’s bittersweet journey from living with a terminal illness, to Damehood and onward. death.
Deborah’s family and Cancer Research UK (CRUK) have revealed that the former deputy director helped raise £11.3m before her death.
She also left behind a video message expressing her gratitude for the success of her campaign and plans on how to use the money raised.
“One of the things I wanted to do before I died was set up the Bowelbabe Fund,” Ms Deborah said in the video.
I wanted to set it up to ensure more people could benefit from some of the things I did.
“We will ensure more people have access to personalized medicine, clinical trials and cutting-edge technology to help more and more people live longer with cancer.”
She added, “Every penny counts. I cannot thank you enough for your support of the Bowelbabe Fund. You are gorgeous.’
CRUK also announced the initial research projects that will receive Bowelbabe funding.
One study will look at laying the foundations for a new precision treatment that could stop the spread of bowel cancer. It will be chaired by Professor Trevor Graham, Director of the Center for Evolution and Cancer at The Institute of Cancer Research, London.
Another project, involving a team of senior scientists, will look at targeting microbes that may cause bowel cancer.
This team has already discovered a bacterium that increases the risk of bowel cancer in some people under the age of 50, and is exploring whether these bacteria can be targeted to reduce bowel cancer risk.
Another project, led by Dr Oleg Pleus of Queen Mary University of London, will look at using artificial intelligence and blood tests to detect early signs of cancer.
At the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital in London, an advanced infrared x-ray machine will also provide better imaging resolution allowing more patients to be treated.
The projects announced, totaling around £4m, are the first round of funding, with further projects due to be confirmed later this year.
