James, who is also known by social media’s ‘Bowel Babe’, was raising awareness for the disease until her death in late June at the age of 40. Between May and July, 170,500 people were referred for checks for suspected lower GI cancers, according to the NHS. This is an increase of more than 30,000 people compared to the same period in 2021 and almost 80,000 higher than the same period two years ago. The figures also show that bowel voiding referrals reached an all-time high in mid-July, a 60% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. A total of 200,000 more people also checked bowel cancer symptoms on the NHS website in the last three months. Callie Palmer, National Director of Cancer for NHS England, said: “Thanks to Dame Deborah James’ brave and relentless campaigning, bowel cancer has come to the fore of a national debate about catching cancer as early as possible and that they have seen record numbers of people coming in for bowel cancer checks shows that people are taking the disease seriously and talking to their GPs about it. “It is so important that we continue Dame Deborah’s work to raise awareness of bowel cancer and save more lives, so anyone who has noticed symptoms is asked to come forward.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Genevieve Edwards, chief executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: “People visiting bowelcanceruk.org.uk have never been higher, with tens of thousands more people seeking information about the symptoms of the disease since the tragic death of Dame Deborah James . “There has also been a spike in people affected by bowel cancer posting on our forum, contacting the Ask the Nurse service, and we know people have seen their doctor as a result of hearing her story.” In early May, James revealed she had stopped active treatment and was receiving end-of-life care at her parents’ home in Woking, Surrey, with her husband and their two children. James, who was diagnosed in 2016, shared her journey with more than a million followers on Instagram. When she was made a bridesmaid, James said she was “honored and shocked” to be considered for the honor. Her husband, Sebastien Bowen, spoke of the difficulties of the past few months spent with the former deputy director, whom he married in France in 2008. Bowen previously told The Times: “She made the most of every last moment. But she was. This is how I will always remember Deborah – the ability in the worst moments to embrace life. “More than anyone I know he loved life, even more when it was so short and every minute counted.”
