Deborah James worked in education for 15 years as a deputy head teacher, where she led national research into growth mindsets in schools. At the age of 35, life with her young children and husband was thrown upside down when she was diagnosed with stage 4, incurable bowel cancer. She responded by starting a blog, 'bowel babe', which became the award-winning, weekly column in the Sun online, 'Things Cancer Made Me Say'. Over the five years that followed, she campaigned tirelessly for better awareness and funding for bowel cancer, cheered on by over 700k followers on Instagram (@bowelbabe), and presented chart-topping podcasts 'You, Me and the Big C' for BBC's Radio 5 Live and 'The Good Stuff', which she hosted with her children. In May 2022, Deborah was personally awarded a damehood by the Duke of Cambridge, after she and her family announced Bowelbabe Fund and raised more than £6 million for Cancer Research UK within a week.
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