Dame Deborah James’ mother pays tribute to her daughter’s 41st birthday

Dame Deborah James’ mother has paid a touching tribute to her daughter on her 41st birthday.

Heather James took to Instagram, where she is known as BowelGran, to mark the day with a poignant post about Deborah, who died on June 28, 2022 at the age of 40, five years after she was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer.

Sharing a close-up of Deborah’s face, Heather wrote poignantly about how much the family misses her, adding how proud they are of their accomplishments.

The post read: “Happy Birthday to our beloved daughter. How we would like to wish you were still with us but so proud of all you have achieved and the legacy you have left behind. You will live in our hearts forever.’

Mother and daughter: Dame Deborah James (left) is pictured with her mother Heather (right) as she undergoes treatment for colon cancer in April this year

After her diagnosis, she campaigned tirelessly, raising millions of pounds to help fight the disease and raise awareness of colon cancer and its symptoms

Sharing this picture of Dame Deborah on Instagram, Heather wrote, “Happy Birthday to our beloved daughter. How we would like to wish you were still with us but so proud of all you have achieved and the legacy you have left behind. You will live in our hearts forever.’

While battling the disease, Dame Deborah worked tirelessly to raise awareness and make money in the final years of her life.

Following her diagnosis, the former headteacher became a co-presenter of the BBC podcast You, Me and The Big C and has used her social media platforms to educate people about the symptoms of colon cancer, under her nickname, ‘The Bowel Babe’.

When the broadcaster announced in May this year that she was receiving palliative care, she raised more than £7million for Cancer Research UK through the Bowelbabe fund.

She also successfully campaigned for certain retailers to have colon cancer symptoms printed on toilet paper packaging.

One of Deborah’s many accomplishments over the past few months has been designing a collection with online clothing retailer InTheStyle.

Deborah rose to fame as Bowelbabe when she began blogging about her life with terminal colon cancer – which became a column in The Sun newspaper

One of the most popular items from the collection was the Rebellious Hope t-shirts, which recognize the mother’s determination to keep hope alive throughout her journey with cancer.

Just days after their release, the t-shirts alone raised an incredible £400,000 for Cancer Research UK.

Heather’s touching birthday celebration for her daughter comes just weeks after she and the family accepted an honorary doctorate on behalf of Dame Deborah of the Institute for Cancer Research.

They were joined by co-hosts of Dame Deborah’s You, Me & The Big C, Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland, who were also recognized for their outstanding contribution to raising awareness of living with cancer.

Deborah James (pictured with her mother, Heather) said she has a “youthful” sense of humor that has kept her laughing in even the darkest of times

Dame Deborah was commemorated on her 41st birthday today as her mother shared a touching post

Posting photos from the graduation ceremony on Instagram, Heather wrote, “Today was a bittersweet day. Deborah and her colleagues Lauren and Steve of You, Me & The Big C received an honorary doctorate from the Institute of Cancer Research for their outstanding contributions to raising awareness of living with cancer and the importance of cancer research.

‘We were proud to accept the award on behalf of Deborah in the most beautiful setting of the Guild Hall City of London.’

Heather was joined by Deborah’s father Alistair, her brother Benjamin and sister Sarah in the big building as they graduated.

Taking to her Instagram story, Heather posted a clip of Alistair addressing the crowd as he accepted the degree on behalf of Dame Deborah.

He said: “When Deborah was invited to accept today’s degree she was honored and proud. But this was mixed with a sense of sadness as she realized that this was one of the first entries in her diary that she was unlikely to fulfil.

“But in recognition of what this award meant to her, Deborah made it clear that she wished her family would be here on her behalf today and thank the Institute and its staff for their work.”