Deborah James shared a photo of her meeting with Prince William as the royal presented her with her Damehood
(Picture: Deborah James )Dame Deborah James has said she is “embracing the feeling of rain on her face” as it might be the “last time” she feels it.
It comes just days after the cancer campaigner and You, Me And the Big C podcast host revealed she was receiving end of life care for her bowel cancer.
In a touching Instagram story on Monday, Dame Deborah shared a clip of her family’s garden with the message: “A late friend once told me to embrace the rain, because you never knew when the last time you might feel the rain on your face is... so am embracing it! Albeit with blankets.”
Dame Deborah, known online as Bowel Babe, was honoured with a damehood on Friday, after the Duke of Cambridge visited her family home. She said the visit gave her family “so much to smile about in the sadness”.
Her Bowel Babe Fund, launched last week to raise money for Cancer Research UK, has already received more than £6 million in donations – hugely exceeding its original target of £250,000.
The 40-year-old said she was “lost for words” after seeing the number of donations she had received.
“This is all just beyond anything we could have ever imagined,” she added.
“The last 5 days have been surreal. Thank you for putting a huge smile on my face, and helping us to launch a legacy to hopefully impact a lifetime cutting edge cancer care.”
Dame Deborah launched the You Me and the Big C podcast in 2018 alongside Rachel Bland and Lauren Mahon, both of whom have also suffered with cancer.
The BBC podcaster was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in 2016.
In the Just Giving page for her BowelBabe fund, she says the money is being raised to “fund clinical trials and research into personalised medicine for cancer patients and supporting campaigns to raise awareness of bowel cancer”.
Downing Street confirmed last Thursday that Deborah would be made a dame, with Boris Johnson saying her “honesty, warmth and courage has been a source of strength to so many people”.
“Through her tireless campaigning and by so openly sharing her experience she has not only helped in our fight against this terrible disease, she has ensured countless others with the Big C have not felt alone,” he added.
