In what’s hailed as a colossal victory for late campaigner Dame Deborah James, the NHS is said to be reducing the bowel cancer screening age from 60 to 50. Reports tout this momentous shift was spearheaded by the valiant journalist and podcast presenter who championed the cause leading up to her tragic demise at the young age of 40 in 2022.
She fervently fundraised millions through the Bowelbabe Fund dedicated to cancer research and merited a damehood handed over by Prince William himself for her incredible charitable contributions shortly before passing.
Heather James, 67, Dame Deborah’s mother, reportedly remarked that her daughter would be “grinning from ear to ear” seeing the screening age alteration, a shift that instantaneously places four million individuals in line for earlier screenings. The esteemed educator and journalist based in Woking, Surrey, was first diagnosed with an irreversible form of bowel cancer in 2016.
Despite the affliction, she managed to collate upwards of £16million earmarked for the disease’s research. Her courageous battle spanned eight years, throughout which the mother of two won accolades for her relentless philanthropic endeavours.
Her poignant final missive on social media enjoined: “Find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always have rebellious hope. And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life.”, reports the Mirror.
Heather, speaking from Woking, expressed to The Sun that her daughter would be jubilant beyond words, yet firmly believed Deborah would want everyone eligible for screening to go ahead with the tests. Heather highlighted the dire consequences of ignoring such invitations, an oversight Deborah knew all too well could turn out to be lethal.
In a significant health development, around 850,000 individuals aged between 50 and 52 in England are set to receive postal test kits. The initiative aims to provide routine testing every two years for those aged 50 to 74, as part of efforts to combat bowel cancer—one of the UK’s most prevalent cancers with over 44,000 new cases annually.
Early detection is crucial for improving survival rates.
Debs, who shared her own battle with cancer in a 2018 newspaper column, highlighted society’s reluctance to discuss uncomfortable topics: “For too long, we as a society have shied away from things that are a bit grim – poo, our bowels, the nasty things going on in there.”
She stressed the importance of awareness, saying, “You are never too young to be told you have bowel cancer, and so it’s doubly important we educate ourselves so we know the signs and symptoms to watch out for.”
Heather, reflecting on her daughter’s legacy after her passing more than two years ago, expressed her belief that Debs’ “dream” has been realised. She said: “I really believe our grandchildren can look forward to a future where cancer isn’t the killer that it is now – rather it will be a chronic condition people can live long lives with. That was always Deborah’s dream.”
