I want to die listening to my family after our final days together, says Deborah James

CANCER activist Deborah James has revealed how she plans to spend her final moments.

The Sun columnist has been living with colon cancer since 2016 and stopped receiving active treatment this week.

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Former school teacher Deborah, also known as Bowel Babe, has moved into her parents’ home in Woking.

From there, the 40-year-old has managed to raise over £3million for the Bowel Babe fund in just a few days.

A lasting legacy that she hopes will help “give more Deborahs more time.”

The podcaster says the hospice advised her that she could stay with her family for “weeks at most.”

After checking off her to-do list, which includes ‘death administration’, Deborah vowed to relax and spend time with her family, her parents, husband Sebastien and their two children, Hugo and Eloise.

“I want to die and listen to my family, I just want to hear their banter and the normal buzz of life as I go,” she told the Times.

“My priority is spending time with my family, we’re all together, I’m with my parents, it’s always where I thought I wanted to die.

“My husband, my children are here. My parents, my brother and my sister.

“We slept in, we talked a lot — well I listened, lay on the sofa, I slept a lot,” she told 5 Live earlier this week.

Deborah chronicled her colon cancer journey in her column Things Cancer Made Me Say and the podcast You Me and the Big C.

She has worked tirelessly for cancer charities and helped raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of colon cancer.

As emotional as she is, she said she doesn’t want her life to be a sad story and has no regrets.

“I could have regretted flaunting my life and stripping down to my knickers because of colon cancer, but I have no regrets, I’ve met incredible people and felt like I was making a difference.”

The mother-of-two added that she’s disappointed she won’t be able to see, hear, smell or taste the things she loves anymore.

“I survived my prognosis so much, it’s ridiculous. I want to thank everyone: the NHS, my doctors and nurses. I sound like an Oscar winner now, except there are no medals for dying,” she added.

Over the past few days, Deborah has been tying up loose ends, including a final podcast episode and her final column for The Sun.

My cancer didn’t define me but it never went away, we knew it would get me in the end, I had to go through life with it

Deborah James

Deborah said she’s three quarters done getting her affairs in order and one thing that needs to be sorted out is a book she’s writing called F*** You Cancer: How to Face the Big C, Live” wrote your life and still be yourself”.

“I still have a few things to sort out, including whether my book will ever be published.

“I don’t know if I have months that the hospice said it really could be weeks at most.

“Nobody, not even doctors, they just don’t know.”

Aside from her book, Deborah will also be leaving the Bowel Babe fund.

She asked supporters to buy her a drink to “see me out of this world” by donating the cost of a gin and tonic to the fund.

The money will be donated between Cancer Research UK, Bowel Cancer UK and the Royal Marsden.

She added that she’s always wanted to use her platform wisely.

“I want to raise a bag of money to support the three charities that have supported me.

“My cancer didn’t define me, but it never went away. We knew it would get me in the end, I had to live with it,” she added.

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