Deborah James

There is nothing much that can be added to what so many others have already said on hearing the news of the death of this valiant young woman.

She devoted the last years of her brief life to raising awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer despite knowing that for her, as for far too many others, her bowel cancer diagnosis came too late.

We are reminded that despite the many and considerable advances that have been made in recent years, there are still great gaps between the expectations and reality of what medical science can achieve in cancer treatment and avoidance. For a long time to come public awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer will remain a key strategy.

We owe Deborah James such a lot for lending her last years to such a valuable cause; this debt can be best repaid by redoubling our efforts to help, as she did, to “raise awareness, break down barriers, challenge taboos and change the conversation around cancer”.