Dame Deborah James has sadly died

[Accy cyclist]

It's just been announced that the above has sadly died. It was inevitable, but it's still sad news. To me she bore her terminal illness with great dignity and courage!😪
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/bowel-babe-dame-james-dies-cancer-b2111530.html

 

[cougie uk]

Ah that is sad news.

 

[Cathryn]

Oh how sad.

 

[Arrowfoot]

RIP Dame Deborah. You smiled to the very end.

 

[Cycleops]

Such a heavy burden to bear, especially for someone so young. She could have just withdrawn and waited for the end but she choose to highlight her illness and raised many thousands for her cause. Brave and inspirational lady.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Really sad, especially as she was so young and had a family etc.
Everyone I know who has had cancer has ended up dying and I think if it was me I'd refuse treatment if there wasnt a really good chance of buying a real lot of time. I think it always claims you in the end.

 

[steveindenmark]

She did everyone a great service by allowing us all into her final months. She bore it with dignity and great courage. At last her suffering is over. RIP

 

[Accy cyclist]

Really sad, especially as she was so young and had a family etc.
Everyone I know who has had cancer has ended up dying and I think if it was me I'd refuse treatment if there wasnt a really good chance of buying a real lot of time. I think it always claims you in the end.

Wouldn't you accept treatment though if it could extend your life by years? Not all treatment is painful and or debilitating.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Really sad, especially as she was so young and had a family etc.
Everyone I know who has had cancer has ended up dying and I think if it was me I'd refuse treatment if there wasnt a really good chance of buying a real lot of time. I think it always claims you in the end.

Until you've been put into that kind of situation you can't say what you'd do. Hannah Fry (the mathematician) spoke recently - from personal experience - about how hard it is to do any kind of logical risk assessment under such circumstances.

 

[Accy cyclist]

My neighbour's niece's husband has terminal bowel cancer. He's only 38 and has two children. According to my neighbour he was told that his diet of take-away food (never had/has fruit and veg') and no sugar 'pop' full of chemicals, has significantly contributed to him developing the cancer.

 

[Kingfisher101]

Wouldn't you accept treatment though if it could extend your life by years? Not all treatment is painful and or debilitating.

Yes If there a good chance of having years left. But not if theres just a year or so with loads of operations and chemo/radiotherapy etc. I know various people who have had all this and they have gone within the year.I've always thought when your numbers up its up.Also I couldnt be arsed with going to hospital all the time either.

 

[presta]

Wouldn't you accept treatment though if it could extend your life by years? Not all treatment is painful and or debilitating.

Maths professor Hannah Fry has had cancer, she recently made a program about it, and in particular about the odds with treatment.

Of 100 cancer patients who have chemo after surgery, 80 would have lived even if they had refused chemo, 15 will die even though they had chemo, and the chemo will save the life of just 5. The problem is that you don't know who is who, so for every 5 lives saved 100 patients had to go through all the side effects. (See from 13m30s)
It's interesting that the doctor thinks that's too difficult a concept for patients to understand, and advises the patient to have the chemo anyway.

When I was waiting to find out if my bowel tumour was malignant 10 years ago, I'd pretty much made up my mind to take whatever time I had left without buggering it up with chemo. (But it turned out it was still benign anyway.)

There's just been someone on the radio saying that Deborah James gave her the confidence to go to the doctor. Good, but I really don't understand why anyone would be too embarrassed to go to the doctor if they're passing blood, and I embarrass quite easily.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Also I couldnt be arsed with going to hospital all the time either.

I'd pretty much made up my mind to take whatever time I had left without buggering it up with chemo

It may seem odd, but when I had chemotherapy nearly 15 years ago I found it ok as in none or little side affects and mentally it was probably the most least stressful even peaceful time of my life. I don't think I was on tranquilisers, unless I was and wasn't told about it.🤔

 

[lazybloke]

Some lovely tributes on the news.

Everyone I know who has had cancer has ended up dying and I think if it was me I'd refuse treatment if there wasnt a really good chance of buying a real lot of time. I think it always claims you in the end.

Cancer doesn't always get you in the end. Isn't 5 years of remission deemed a cure?

My mum was cured of breast cancer 20 years ago.
My dad of prostate cancer about 15 years ago.
My father-in-law about 13 years ago with the same.

And there's my pal who beat cancer despite being told it was incurable. He was given only 5 years to live. That was 5 years ago. He's been cancer-free since about 3 years ago.
AT his worst, he was so ill it invoked the life insurance that paid off his mortgage.
He's back at work now, with much more disposable income

He's the example where a return of the cancer is a significant risk, but the thought of him refusing that life-saving treatment? Nope.

 

[DaveReading]

Everyone I know who has had cancer has ended up dying and I think if it was me I'd refuse treatment if there wasn't a really good chance of buying a real lot of time.

At the risk of stating the obvious, everyone you know who doesn't have cancer is going to die, too.

The important thing is the tradeoff between the quantity and quality of the years one has left. Like many other decisions in life, the one about what cancer treatment (if any) is best is always going to be an intensely personal one.