DAME Deborah James says she is “so chuffed” that her recent work will add £1million to her Bowelbabe Fund.
The mum-of-two launched the fund at the start of May, when she revealed she was receiving palliative care for incurable bowel cancer.
Already it has reached £6.5 million thanks to the kindness of strangers.
And 40-year-old Dame Debs revealed on Instagram that a further £1million will be raised through her recent endeavours.
Among them is the launch of her In The Style fashion line, which includes her beloved “Rebellious Hope” T-shirt in black, pink and white.
Dame Debs, a Sun columnist, said: “I’m so chuffed that over the weeks (albeit whilst I’ve been navigating this end of life care thing!), in order to up funds into @bowelbabefun the collaborations (T-shirt, Book, Rose, Bag) will end up bringing in over £1million extra for the fund which will give us a another year of funding.
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“Thank you as always for supporting the fund, it means so much to me to be able to leave as much of a pot of money that can support brilliant people in their quest to cure cancer.”
Since revealing she was no longer having treatment for her cancer – diagnosed in 2016 – Dame Debs been focused on building momemntum around the Bowelbabe fund.
Between sleeping and spending precious time with her family, Dame Debs launched her vibrant fashion line with In The Style, ahead of schedule.
Part of the collection is her T-shirt, which sold out within hours, raising £140,000.
TO DONATE to BowelBabe Fund visit www.bowelbabe.org
On Wednesday, she said sales had topped £650,000, which she said made her “so so happy and thankful”.
One hundred per cent of the profits will go to her fund, which supports Cancer Research UK, The Royal Marsden and Bowel Cancer UK.
The podcaster’s new book, How To Live When You Could Be Dead, quickly rose to the top of Amazon’s bestsellers in just 24 hours.
The publisher Penguin Books will donate £3 of every sale to the fund.
Meanwhile, Dame Debs caught the attention of another retailer, Scamp & Dude, which will now donate £10 of every £30 “Swag Bags” sale.
The company said: “It would take too long to create something new, so we decided to let Deborah choose something from the current collection and she chose this coral with gold leopard & lightning bolt Swag Bag.”
A rose was named after Dame Debs and showcased at the Royal Chelsea Flower Show in May.
The beautiful flower can be pre-ordered from World of Roses, with £2.50 from each sale going to the Bowelbabe Fund.
Dame Debs, who is mum to Eloise 12, and Hugo, 14, said it is becoming increasingly harder to spend time with her family between all the sleep she is doing.
She was first diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016, at the age of 35, and was given just eight per cent chance of surviving five years.
Since her shock diagnosis, Dame Debs has been an avid campaigner, raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of the condition.
She wrote her unfiltered thoughts throughout her journey in her Sun column, Things Cancer Made Me Say.
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In early May, Dame Debs said her body was “no longer playing ball”, after medics did all they could to treat her.
Her fighting spirit has made her a national treasure, leading to her Damehood, personally delivered by Prince William to Debs’ parent’s house in Woking, where she has planned to spend her final days.
- To donate to BowelBabe Fund visit www.bowelbabe.org
- To pre-order Deborah’s book visit Amazon
- Her t-shirt is available through In the Style in sizes 6-28
- The Dame Deborah James rose, Bare Root, is available at World of Roses
- The Scamp & Dude coral with gold foil leopard print Swag Bag is also available online
