rivers2cross

One chapter in The Record really served as a stark reminder to me just how awful bowel cancer is. If there was ever a good reason for buying the book then this chapter is it. Deborah James died 4 years ago on July 27th 2017 aged just 37 leaving behind her young daughter Grace.

I came into contact with Debs on social media in 2015 around the time that I published my second book, Lives & Times, which she kindly bought, and we stayed in regular contact. She was one of the first people to agree to be in The Record. We met just a few months before she died at the beginning of May at the Sixfields Leisure Park in Northampton. At that time Debs was still very positive and determined to do everything she could to stay healthy and live as long as possible in spite of an awful prognosis. She told me that when she was younger, she said she would live to be 100, and with her lovely infectious laugh she then said that it was still possible. In fact Deb’s laugh was constant throughout, even during the bits where we chatted about the most difficult subjects relating to her illness. Sadly her health declined quite quickly after our meeting, but nevertheless the news of her death came as a huge shock to me.

Although I only got to meet her once, that experience definitely left a mark on me, and I’m sorry that I didn’t get the opportunity to know her a little better and see her again. Debs had set up her own business, which was raising awareness about cancer at the workplace, supporting businesses, cancer patients and their families affected by cancer. She was a quite special person, who is much missed by so many people.

Debs and I agreed that the chapter on her in the book should be written as of that moment in time of our meeting. I wanted her to see the chapter as it would appear in the finished book. The chapter that I sent to Debs appears unchanged in The Record apart from a few lines of explanation that I added to the start of it.

The Record was written in memory of my mum who died of bowel cancer in August 2016. All profits are donated to Bowel Cancer UK, and over £1000 has been raised to date.

Bowel cancer claims 16,000 lives in the UK, and is the second biggest cancer killer. However if caught early at stage 1 it is very treatable, and the five year survival rate is over 90%. When detected at the late stage 4 the five year survival rate drops dramatically to 7%. This shows how crucial early diagnosis is to getting a better outcome. Knowing the symptoms is so important.