BBC star Deborah James, 40, was laughed at three times when she suggested to doctors she may have bowel cancer, prior to receiving her devastating diagnosis.
Thanks to blood tests and stool samples coming back 'normal', the TV star was repeatedly told she "must have IBS, haemorrhoids or worse case colitis" before she a colonoscopy finally revealed she had stage 3 bowel cancer.
On Monday, the mum-of-two told her fans the "time has come to say goodbye" from a hospice she is currently residing in, after five years of battling the terminal illness.
"I’m under hospice at home care, & I’m spending my time surrounded by my family. Please buy me a wine to see me out and raise vital funds," Deborah wrote within her heartbreaking social media update.
The popular podcaster's admission her "body simply isn’t playing ball" has devastated fans, who have followed her journey and supported her inspirational campaign work since she first opened up about her diagnosis.
Deborah was just 35 years old when she diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer in December 2016, which went on to become stage four.
Sharing her story with Bowel Cancer UK shortly after being diagnosed, Deborah explained how she used to be a "text book hypochondriac" but years of CBT had helped her not fear the worse when it came to her health and ailments.
However, a major change in bowel habits left her feeling a "sixth sense" that something was wrong and she sought medical advice.
"If only for once someone believed me earlier that I wasn't 'crying wolf' – when in my normal nervous GP 'question time' I tell the doctor I think I have bowel cancer – I'm actually laughed at – not once but three times over the course of six months!" Deborah recalled in her moving essay reflecting on discovering the news she had terminal bowel cancer.
"Despite being reassured on numerous occasions that I must have IBS, haemorrhoids or worse case colitis, my blood tests and stool sample came back 'normal' so everything must be fine!"
"And yet I was still losing weight, passing blood, going what felt like 100 times per day and feeling shattered. I knew there was something wrong with me, a sixth sense if you will, because for the first time I was afraid – very afraid about taking this further.
Deborah went on to explain how she grew "fed up" of waiting for a referral so paid privately to have a colonoscopy.
Prior to the appointment, the star went on a ski trip, completed a number of tasks and ensured the school term was over because something was telling her the news she would receive "might change everything".
Sadly, Deborah's hunch proved to be correct.
"I was blind-sided at 7pm on Thursday 15 December 2016, when having refused the sedative and having researched what cancerous tumours would appear like in a colonoscopy (total hypochondriac geek alert!), I stared my ugly 5.5cm cancerous, ulcerated stage 3 tumour in the face and everything went silent," the star recalled in her essay.
"On that idle Thursday however, I came back sobbing to the day ward (maybe it was the gas and air!) proclaiming that I know 'he' found something – I mean I saw it too. You know there is an issue when the consultant asks 'is someone here with you?"
Deborah went on to share how a consultant would confirm her worst fear - they had found a large tumour and it was very likely cancerous.
The campaigner was eventually diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer, which developed to stage 4, and went on to use her profile to raise awareness and become an inspiring campaigner.
Alongside her own blog, Bowel Babe, Deborah hosts the popular podcast 'You, Me and the Big C' and is a patron of Bowelcancer U.K.
After sharing what could be one of her final social media updates on Monday, Deborah went on to raise over £600,000 in just 24 hours as fans rushed to donate to her new charity fund, Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK.
*You can read Deborah's full essay for Bowel Cancer UK here.
