Deborah James was hailed as an “inspiration” after talking about her battle with incurable colon cancer in Lorraine.
The 40-year-old BBC podcast host said on this morning’s program that he “doesn’t really know” how long he is alive, and that his body is “tired” after “spending about 80% of this year in the hospital”.
Deborah, who lives in London, has suffered from stage four colon cancer since she was diagnosed in December 2016 and was initially told she would not live more than five years, a milestone reached in the fall of 2021.
The television interview, part of ITV’s “No Butts” campaign, was filmed last month at the Royal Marsden Hospital, where Deborah spent a month in hospital with sepsis.
Deborah, a mother of two, began to feel “vulnerable” after a horrific accident in January because she “thought she couldn’t last all night” after bleeding from varicose veins.
BBC podcast host Deborah James, who has incurable colon cancer, says she spent “about 80% of this year” at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Photographed at the hospital last December
In an honest interview with ITV’s Lorraine Kelly, she said she felt “weak” after a horrific accident in January, after bleeding from a varicose vein, “when she thought she couldn’t make it all night.”
“If I’m being honest, I really don’t know how I live,” he said. “This year has been really crazy. I spent about 80 percent of this year in the hospital in some way. I had a very scary experience in January as I had bloody varicose veins. I thought so.
“I can’t talk until now without crying. In a split second, I walked out of life thinking I wouldn’t be able to make it all night. And none of my family. My body is tired.
Viewers responded with praise on social media, with a few comments on how they inspired Deborah’s positive attitude towards her illness, with someone calling her “one of life’s heroes”.
“Crying @bowalbabe what a wonderful woman. Such an inspiration for life’s heroes. I send a lot of love to you and your family,” one viewer wrote.
“I really don’t know how I live,” Deborah said in the interview filmed last month, adding that her body was tired “after spending about 80 percent of this year in the hospital.”
Earlier this week, Deborah completely updated her Instagram followers about her health, after more than a month in the hospital as a sepsis patient.
Another said: ‘How inspiring Deborah is, I’m now going to update my wardrobe with bright colors. Send my wishes.’
‘This beautiful woman, Deborah James, is an absolute inspiration. #Lorraine,” said the third.
When 62-year-old Lorraine asked her how she was feeling, Deborah replied, “She’s fragile. I put on my makeup and wash my hair that’s getting weird, frankly.
The cancer activist admitted that she “underestimated” the effects of sepsis on the body and said that a full recovery could take “a long, long time”. In the photo, Deborah is in the hospital
BBC podcast host Deborah James, who has incurable colon cancer, announced earlier this month that she had been released after more than a month in the hospital. Pictured leaving the Royal Marsden Hospital
Family time: Deborah (left image) allowed to return home to spend Mother’s Day with her family
“Three weeks ago I couldn’t get out of bed to go to the bathroom, couldn’t get up.”
Talking about the importance of the No Butts campaign, Deborah told Lorraine: “I’ve been living with colon cancer for over five years, it’s incredible. But if my cancer had been discovered early, I wouldn’t be living with the latest technologies.
“So for me, the ‘No Butts’ campaign is about getting everything early because we know that cancer is truly curable when caught early. We don’t want people to be embarrassed about talking about everything when it comes to poop.
“I will get through this and do it in a way that I feel positive. I think you feel a little better when you wear bright colors”.
Acknowledging that she wanted to “push and push” her doctors six months before her diagnosis, Deborah warned audiences to always check for symptoms beforehand.
“Trust your intuition,” he said. ‘Never feel like you’re wasting someone else’s time, especially a doctor.
“I wish I had pushed and pushed and pushed six months ago. I just have to remember to trust your instincts. No more donkeys!’
Earlier this week, Deborah gave her Instagram followers extensive information about her health after spending more than a month in the hospital as a sepsis patient.
He was discharged from the hospital on 8 April and visited Royal Marsden for daily intravenous treatment.
But she told her followers that she reacted badly to her oral antibiotics and was vomiting with rising temperatures for the next five days.
The mother returned to the hospital on April 14 for some emergency procedures to drain the abscesses and infections.
He added that he was in intensive care over Easter weekend and doctors have been working since then to get the right combination of antibiotics for sepsis.
Deborah said she went back to four antibiotics and doctors tried to improve liver function to get rid of the infection. They added a new drain and a new stent through his liver.
He added that he was able to get some “daily admissions” from the hospital.
Source: Daily Mail
