When Deborah James was 35 years old, she went to the doctor suffering from what she thought was IBS. The diagnosis ended up being something much worse – bowel cancer. That was back in 2017.

Since being diagnosed with cancer, James lived her life to the fullest and used every opportunity possible to bring awareness to bowel cancer. She became known as Bowelbabe for her TikToks and Instagram posts about her life and progress fighting cancer. Unfortunately, her fight is over.

In June 2022, five years after being diagnosed with cancer, James died at the age of 40. While her husband, Sebastian Bowen, and her two children, Eloise and Hugo, are devastated by her death, they are also proud of everything she accomplished. For example, her Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK raised £11m (well over $13 million). Her daughter called the amount raised “mind-blowing,” and her son referred to it as “amazing” when he thinks about all that could be accomplished with the money raised.

James wrote two books during her fight with cancer. One which was titled “How to Live When You Could Be Dead,” and a second book titled “F*** You Cancer: How to Face the Big C, Live Your Life and Still Be Yourself.”

Bowen told BBC Breakfast that his wife “died in probably one of the best ways that you could have hoped to die with this terrible disease.” He added, “She had done everything she could hope to achieve. She was surrounded by everyone who loved her, what else can you hope for really?”

Bowen is hopeful that by partnering with charities and “with more public awareness, will be able to, maybe not defeat bowel cancer, but at least change the odds that people will have.”

One year after being diagnosed with bowel cancer, James appeared on the TV show “Lorraine.” Watch her interview below to hear more about her diagnosis and how it changed her life.