The family of Dame Deborah James are calling for more cancer research

Relatives of Dame Deborah James are calling on British political parties to commit to more cancer research.

In 2022, Deborah tragically died from bowel cancer aged just 40, five years after she was diagnosed. During her final years she helped raise awareness and money for the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK. More than £12 million has been raised to date.

Lady Deborah James

Deborah’s husband Sebastien Bowen, parents Alistair and Heather James, and siblings Ben James and Sarah Wieczorek have all written to the government in the hope that they will come up with a long-term strategy against cancer within a year.

The family supports Cancer Research UK’s Longer, Better Lives statement and hopes it can “promote earlier diagnosis and reduce inequalities in access to treatment and care”.

“That’s why we’re calling on all political parties to make the upcoming General Election a landmark moment by committing to a long-term cancer strategy for England, which will enable more people affected by cancer to have more time with the people they love. to hold.” wrote in their open letter to The Sun.

“Unfortunately, as a family we are not unique when it comes to losing a loved one too soon to cancer. Many families across the country feel the same heartbreak every day. But it doesn’t have to be this way. People affected by cancer must be at the center of this general election.”

Deborah ‘destroys stigmas surrounding cancer’

In the same letter, Deborah’s loved ones praised her for being a woman who “broke stigmas surrounding cancer.” She was also a “passionate advocate for the importance of early diagnosis.”

“Diagnosing cancer at an earlier stage saves lives,” she added.

The family also said there is a need for a boost in the NHS’s cancer workforce and investment in “vital diagnostic equipment to ensure that everyone who needs it has access to the right test, in the right place, at the right moment”.

A recent analysis by the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK predicts that there will be a noticeable increase in the number of bowel cancer cases by 2040. The data expects the number of bowel cancer cases to rise from the current 42,800 diagnoses per year to 47,700. Part of this will be due to the growing and aging population.

Read more: Deborah James’ brother gets married as their mother admits ‘two special people are no longer with us’

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