Dame Deborah James’s dad has recalled their conversation on the day she died, in an emotional new interview published on Father’s Day (18 June). James was diagnosed with incurable stage four bowel cancer in 2016, when she was 35. Using the moniker “bowel babe”, she campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness about the symptoms of the disease until her death on 28 June 2022. Her BowelBabe fund has raised over £11.3m for Cancer Research UK at the time of writing, and James was awarded a damehood last May for her activism. In an interview with The Sun, her father Alistair James explained how James was committed to living a full life until the very end. “She was always full of energy, the driving force in our family. She was always coming up with fun ideas, ways to make memories together,” he said. “She would create outdoor cinemas in the garden, plan last-minute holidays, throw impromptu parties – it was never-ending.” James was receiving palliative care at her parents’ home in Surrey in the weeks before her death. “We all knew how desperate it was and we did have some desperately sad times. But we all made sure there were lots of good times, too,” Alistair told the outlet. He also reflected on the day James died, with him and his wife Heather by her side. “Heather suddenly called for me, telling me it was happening and I needed to come now. Saying goodbye was very hard, but it was peaceful,” the 67-year-old said. “Right towards the end, I told her, ‘You can let go now, you have done enough. You can sleep’. I’d never said anything like that before.” Their Father’s Day celebrations usually involved watching sports together, Alistair said. “I remember her taking me to The Ashes cricket four years ago. She loved every minute of it. We loved days out at Wimbledon together,” he continued. “It’s those things that I’ll really miss.” Alistair also expressed his sadness for James’s husband Sebastian, and their children Hugo and Eloise, who will miss out on celebrating many milestones together. James called Alistair “my unsung hero” in a moving post on Father’s Day last year – days before she died. She shared a picture of him brushing her hair, with a caption that read: “My dad is my unsung hero, more so than ever. He’s quietly there behind the scenes, making sure I am OK.” Earlier this year, an impactful documentary chronicling James’s campaign efforts was released on BBC Two. BowelBabe in Her Own Words stitches together 100 hours of recordings – from James’s podcast You Me, and the Big C, her Instagram and TikTok videos, text messages, voice notes and old home videos – to tell the activist’s story. Read More I’m about to experience my first Father’s Day without my Dad Adam Kay says his ‘life has been transformed’ after ‘welcoming two young babies’ via surrogate Prince William all smiles as he’s pictured with his children to mark Father’s Day Alan Carr’s ex Paul Drayton criticises comedian’s ‘really nasty’ comments about friendship with Adele Somehow everyone has become a body language expert

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Research has been revealed that shows which day of the week heart attacks are most likely to take place. According to a new study, the most severe types of heart attacks are more common on Mondays than any other day. STEMI attacks are the most severe forms of attacks, which are caused by a blockage of the coronary artery and see an interruption to the blood supply. A total of 10,528 patients were analysed as part of new research, with the study focusing hospital cases in Ireland and Northern Ireland between 2013 and 2018. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The findings were presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) conference in Manchester. The data shows that the risk of an STEMI-type heart attack were 13 per cent greater on a Monday compared to the average of other days. Cardiologist Jack Laffan from the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust said at the conference: "We've found a strong statistical correlation between the start of the working week and the incidence of STEMI. This has been described before but remains a curiosity." Laffan also considers it likely that the natural cycle of weeks, months and seasons has on our health. He said: "Based on what we know from previous studies, it is reasonable to presume a circadian element". Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, added: "This study adds to evidence around the timing of particularly serious heart attacks, but we now need to unpick what it is about certain days of the week that makes them more likely. "Doing so could help doctors better understand this deadly condition so we can save more lives in future." It comes after a woman revealed how when she was a teenager she mistook a heart attack for butterflies, after dancing with a boy for the first time. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

US Customs and Border Protection officers in Arizona have seized 242 pounds of swim bladders -- the organ that helps fish control their buoyancy -- that came from the endangered Totoaba fish, authorities said. have seized 242 pounds of swim bladders -- the organ that helps fish control their buoyancy -- that came from the endangered Totoaba fish, authorities said.

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