The £16 million Bowelbabe fundraiser and The Sun led calls for the change before her death in 2022 aged 40
James’ mother Heather hailed the NHS move to reduce the standard testing age from 60 to 50 — which instantly makes four million people eligible for the life-saving check.
It is a huge win for the late James and The Sun’s ‘No Time 2 Lose’ campaign, which lobbied for the change with Bowel Cancer UK.
The mum of two was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016 and died aged 40 in 2022 — but her incredible efforts have raised more than £16 million for research into the disease.
Writing in 2018 in her Sun column, James said: “For too long, we as a society have shied away from things that are a bit grim — poo, our bowels, the nasty things going on in there.
“You are never too young to be told you have bowel cancer, and so it’s doubly important we educate ourselves so we know the signs and symptoms to watch out for.”
Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of the disease in the UK, with more than 44,000 people diagnosed a year. Catching tumours quickly and before serious symptoms start is the best way to boost survival.
The NHS is urging more middle-aged people to come forward for tests, as only around half of eligible people in their 50s do them.
Read the full story of Dame Deborah James’ campaign win.
