Dame Deborah James has received a huge honour, just weeks after her tragic passing.
The journalist and podcaster died on June 28 after a six-year battle with bowel cancer. She was 40 years old.
Dame Deborah James’ huge honour
Just weeks after her tragic death, Deborah has been honoured posthumously.
Alongside the likes of the Queen, Jodie Comer, and Emma Raducanu, Deborah has been named as one of Vogue‘s Most Influential Women in 2022.
Read more: Deborah James fans rally round as her friend Steve Bland issues plea following her death
Every year, Vogue picks 25 groundbreaking women to include in its list.
This year, the editors of the magazine were “especially aware of those women who have been through unimaginable ordeals and shown resilience that offers strength to us all”.
And amongst the incredible women included in this year’s list was Deborah.
Dame Deborah James in list of influential women
As well as including Deborah in their list, Vogue wrote a few words about her too.
“After she was diagnosed with stage-three bowel cancer aged 35, Deborah James – who sadly passed away last month – began documenting her treatment online and on the BBC podcast You, Me and the Big C,” they said.
“Praised for her candidness, she not only helped other sufferers with practical advice but convinced many more to visit their GPs,” they continued.
“When, in May, James shared her terminal diagnosis, she simultaneously launched a fund for Cancer Research UK. Having raised more than £7 million, her unrivalled campaigning will continue to impact countless lives.”
Can we clear something up. @bowelbabe did not LOSE HER FIGHT with cancer. Her fight was never with her cancer. Her fight with cancer was to get access to new drugs, to fight to educate people so that others didn’t have to go through it. And she won that hands down. 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 pic.twitter.com/0xLuGCPYI6
— Steve Bland (@blandsteve) July 6, 2022
Deborah’s friend issues plea
Deborah’s honouring in the Vogue list comes just a week after her friend issued a plea to her fans.
In an impassioned tweet, Steve Bland, Deborah’s friend and colleague, demanded that the terminology change when discussing Deborah’s death.
“Can we clear something up. @bowelbabe did not LOSE HER FIGHT with cancer,” he wrote.
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“Her fight was never with her cancer. Her fight with cancer was to get access to new drugs, to fight to educate people so that others didn’t have to go through it,” he continued.
“And she won that hands down.”
Plenty of Deborah’s fans took to the replies to show their support.
“Well said! A number of cancer patients make the same appeal. @bowelbabe was so right. It implies some kind of failure in losing, which is of course ludicrous. The sooner we can lose it from our language the better!” one fan tweeted.
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