Sign up to help beat cancer for Deborah James

Also known as Bowelbabe, Deborah was an inspiration to us all, her story and incredible work to raise awareness of cancer has touched so many lives. Sign up to any event and Race for Life for Bowelbabe, choose from 3k, 5k, 10k or Pretty Muddy.

If you sign up to Race for Life for Bowelbabe, all money raised will go to the Bowelbabe Fund. This will support causes and projects that Deborah really cared about, such as clinical trials, research, and cancer information and awareness, as well as other initiatives to combat cancer and support those affected by cancer.

How to sign up to Race for Life for Bowelbabe

Click the link below and choose which race you’d like to take part in, you can Race for Life for Bowelbabe at any of our events.
On the sign-up page, the form will ask ‘Would you like the money you raise to support the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK or Cancer Research UK’s work more generally?’.
Click ‘Yes, I’d like to choose’.
Select ‘Bowelbabe Fund’ from the drop down to Race for Bowelbabe
You can join the main fundraising team once you’ve signed up to a Race for Life event and a Giving Page is created for you:
Once your sign up form is complete, click on ‘Join a team’, search this URL: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/race-for-life-for-bowelbabe, select the result and click ‘Join this team’.
Download the Bowelbabe sponsorship form here

Find your local event

What you’ll receive

A fundraising pack with running number and Race for Life for Bowelbabe back sign

Emails with tips and tricks on how to fundraise

A Race for Life medal at the finish line

Deborah’s Story

Deborah James, known as ‘Bowelbabe’, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2016 at the age of 35. She was a tireless campaigner and fundraiser, sharing her cancer experience with unflinching honesty to raise awareness and smash taboos around talking about poo and the symptoms of bowel cancer.

In May 2022, Deborah announced that the time had come to stop treatment and receive palliative care at home with her family. However, defiant to the last, she was determined to still give one last, big F*** YOU to cancer. That’s why, together with her family, she set up the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK . On June 28 2022, Deborah’s family announced that she had died peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones.

Thanks to continued generosity of the public and partners, the Fund has now raised over £11m. This incredible amount of money raised will help give more people more time with the people they love, by funding cutting-edge research into early detection and personalised medicine and raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer, including working in partnership with organisations such as Bowel Cancer UK, the Institute for Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden.

Her commitment to campaigning, fundraising, and raising awareness of cancer has touched so many lives and will continue to have far-reaching impact in the years to come.

The Bowelbabe Fund

Information on bowel cancer

In the UK, there are approximately 44,000 new cases of bowel cancer each year (2017-2019) – but the good news is that bowel cancer survival in the UK has more than doubled in the last 50 years. Detecting bowel cancer at an earlier stage makes it more treatable and increases chances of survival.

Find out more on bowel cancer