More than £6,000,000 has been raised in memory of teenager Stephen Sutton a decade since he bid farewell.
Writing on Facebook from his deathbed, four years after his diagnosis with colorectal cancer at the age of 15, Stephen said: ‘It’s a final thumbs up from me.
‘I’ve done well to blag things as well as I have up till now but, unfortunately, I think this is just one hurdle too far.’
The 19-year-old inspired people across the UK by documenting his journey on his blog, Stephen’s Story, raised £10,000 for charity and ticked 35 items off a bucket list of 46.
He played drums in front of a crowd of 90,000 people at a Wembley cup final, crowd surfed in a rubber dinghy, spoke about his journey with cancer at 10 Downing Street, and appeared on BBC’s Doctors.
A decade ago, Stephen, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, had just over 58,000 followers on Facebook.
Now there are more than a million, and some £6,000,000 has been raised for Teenage Cancer Trust in his memory.
That money has helped upgrade specialist hospital units, raise awareness of cancer symptoms in young people, and hold events that introduce young cancer patients to each other, reducing their isolation.
Stephen’s mother, Jane, was always ‘in awe of his bravery’.
Jane said: ‘There will always be a Stephen-shaped hole in my heart, and I miss him every day.
‘But knowing that he has changed the lives of thousands of other young people with cancer for the better, and that he’s still making a difference to others, which is all he ever wanted to do, brings some comfort.
’Stephen really did appreciate Teenage Cancer Trust being there for him during his illness, and he was very aware that not every young person can get the charity’s support.’
As the follower count on his Facebook page grows, so too does the number of young people diagnosed with cancer.
When Stephen died, just seven a day were diagnosed. That’s expected to reach 10 a day by 2030.
In a bid to raise £300,000, enough to fund an extra 10,000 hours of expert care and support, Jane has launched a new nationwide fundraising campaign.
She’ll be starting a series of 16 Stephen-inspired challenges, covering each UK region where Teenage Cancer Trust funds specialist cancer units for young people.
Stephen received care from three of these – at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, the Royal Orthopaedic, Birmingham, and the city’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, over four years of treatment.
Jane said: ‘Like Stephen, I want all young people diagnosed with cancer to be able to access the support and services Teenage Cancer Trust offer, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop fundraising until that’s the case.
’With cancer in young people on the increase, and the charity struggling to find the money needed to grow their services, these young people need our help and support more than ever.’
The first challenge involves shovelling elephant poo at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, where there is an elephant named Sutton, after Stephen, on Wednesday, May 22.
Hugging an animal larger than himself was one of the tasks Stephen listed after being told his cancer was incurable.
Sutton, age 10, is the son of the elephant Stephen hugged. Jane thinks he’d find the task ‘hilarious’.
Kate Collins, chief executive of the Teenage Cancer Trust, said: ‘Stephen himself said “I don’t see the point in measuring life in terms of time anymore, I’d rather measure life in terms of making a difference” and the difference he – and everyone who has been inspired by him – continues to make is extraordinary.
’Stephen shone the brightest of lights on the needs of young people with cancer, inspiring thousands of people to support us and helping Teenage Cancer Trust to expand our work.
’Young people with cancer need our support now more than ever and his mum Jane’s commitment to continuing his legacy by helping us continue our work is as extraordinary as Stephen was.
’We are all so grateful to Stephen, to Jane and to everyone who helps make sure young people don’t face cancer alone by donating to our work.’
Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who and an honorary patron of the charity, paid tribute to Stephen’s ‘incredible courage and spirit’ and his determination to ‘live life to the full and make a difference to others’.
He said: ‘He certainly achieved all of that.
‘By sharing his story, he put the spotlight on what life is like for teenagers with cancer in a way that has never been done before or since.
‘He raised millions of pounds to help other young people with cancer and since Stephen died, his mother Jane has continued his legacy.
‘Jane remains completely determined that in the future, every young person can access the support Stephen had from Teenage Cancer Trust.
‘In the face of such heartbreak that truly is incredible.
‘I would encourage everyone to get behind Jane and support her new target which will have a huge impact on people, at the time they need it most.’
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