William and Kate donate to Deborah James’ bowel cancer fund
The Bowel Babe fund has raised over three million pounds
Last updated 29th May 2022
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have said their thoughts are with Deborah James and her family after donating an undisclosed amount to her bowel cancer fund.
The 40-year-old from London set up the fund after disclosing on Monday that she had moved to hospice-at-home care to treat her terminal bowel cancer.
Known as Bowel Babe online and recognised for her podcast 'You, me and the Big C', she has raised more than £3 million after setting up the Just Giving page.
The former headteacher was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 and has been campaigning to raise awareness of bowel cancer since.
She has a large online following and has used Instagram as a platform to keep her more than 500,000 followers up to date with her treatments.
In a personal tweet, William and Kate said: "Every now and then, someone captures the heart of the nation with their zest for life & tenacious desire to give back to society.
"@bowelbabe is one of those special people. Her tireless efforts to raise awareness of bowel cancer & end the stigma of treatment are inspiring.
"We are so sad to hear her recent update but pleased to support the @bowelbabef, which will benefit the @royalmarsdenNHS among others.
"Deborah, our thoughts are with you, your family and your friends. Thank you for giving hope to so many who are living with cancer. W & C."
James has been treated at the Royal Marsden hospital in London, of which William is patron, and it is one of the beneficiaries of her fund.
In an Instagram post she said she did not know how long she had left, and that while the last six months had been "heartbreaking" to go through, she had been surrounded by "so much love" and had "no regrets".
Speaking about her decision to set up the Bowelbabe fund, James wrote: "I always knew there was one thing I always wanted to do before I died.
"I have always over the years raised as much awareness and money for the charities that are closest to me. @cr_uk @royalmarsden @bowelcanceruk
"As a result, the @bowelbabefund is being established and I'd love nothing more than for you to help it flourish. Please visit bowelbabe.org for all the info and to donate (link in Bio)."
The Just Giving page said it was "raising money to fund clinical trials and research into personalised medicine for cancer patients and supporting campaigns to raise awareness of bowel cancer".