‘ALIVE AND KICKING’
I’m tired and taking life day-by-day but still beating survival odds, says Dame Deborah James
DAME Deborah James says she is continuing to beat her survival odds since being sent home from hospital to receive palliative care.
The Sun writer, who has incurable bowel cancer, says she is taking life “day-by-day” and at a much slower pace.
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But still in good spirits, she is still tirelessly campaigning and telling people to “check their poo” for symptoms of bowel cancer.
Dame Debs gave an update on ITV’s Lorraine wearing a pink wig in support of Cancer Research UK Race for Life, beaming from ear to ear.
After congratulating the programme’s staff for participating in Race for Life last night, Dame Debs said: “I am doing okay, I'm stable, I think stable is a good thing.
“I'm taking life slowly, not on social media too much and just spending time in the garden with my family at a much slower pace of life, which is not what I'm used to.
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“Taking life day by day and just continuing to feel blessed to have another day, knowing my time is limited.”
Laughing, Dame Debs said: “But at the same time, if truth be told, I've already outlived already, yet again, what I was told when I was sent home from the hospital.
“So I think already even I’m a bit surprised, but I think its having that sense of purpose, getting involved, continuing with the campaigning, that's keeping me going.”
Dame Debs was given an eight per cent survival chance over five years when she received her advanced bowel cancer diagnosis in 2016, aged 35.
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But she hit her 40th birthday last October, a milestone even she never imagined she’d reach.
Dame Debs revealed at the start of May that she would be taking palliative care at her parents home in Woking.
A heartbreaking goodbye message said her "body just can't continue."
Writing in The Sun, Dame Debs said she didn't know how long she had left and was scared to fall asleep at night.
She’s continued raising awareness of bowel cancer since being sent home from hospital, but mostly importantly, launched the Bowelbabe Fund.
Dame Debs said today she was “so proud” to leave behind the fund legacy.
She added: “But for the moment, I’m here, alive, kicking as much as I possibly can, and sending my love and thank you for all your kind messages.
“Physically I'm quite tired, but mentally I'm still a campaigner.
“I'm still asking people to check their poo. I'm still on it about getting that messaging on loo roll across the country.”
The mum-of-two this week said she would be taking on every supermarket to get bowel cancer symptoms written on their loo roll.
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M&S will encourage its 30 million customers to be on the look out for symptoms, which will be printed on toilet roll packaging in its stores from September.
For the five symptoms you need to know - always remember the word BOWEL:
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- B - bleeding from your bottom or blood in your poo
- O - obvious change in toilet habits
- W - weight loss and you don't know why
- E - extreme tiredness
- L - lump or pain - usually in your stomach or back passage
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