Final thumbs up as dying teen raises £1m for cancer

An inspirational teenager has seen his selfless final wish come true as he nears the end of his life.

Thu, 24 Apr, 2014 - 01:00

Peter O’Dwyer

When Stephen Sutton was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer two years ago, the English 19-year-old set about raising £10,000 (€12,138) for the Teenage Cancer Trust via an online campaign.

Stephen soon surpassed that total as he captured the hearts of the British public and those further afield.

Subsequently, he refocused his efforts in an attempt to raise £1m for the charity — a goal he achieved yesterday after a flood of contributions in the wake of an poignant Facebook post.

“It’s a final thumbs up from me!” wrote the Staffordshire native.

“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.

“It’s a shame the end has come so suddenly — there’s so many people I haven’t got round to properly thank or say goodbye too. Apologies for that.”

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... http://t.co/cZzsR17F4z
— Stephen's Story (@_StephensStory) April 22, 2014

His campaign was supported by comedian Jason Mumford, television presenter Philip Schofield and top chef Raymond Blanc among others.

Supporting @_StephensStory incredible guy! https://t.co/OrnjIk3a54 or text 'STEPHEN' to 70500 to donate £5 to his cause #stephensstory
— Phillip Schofield (@Schofe) April 23, 2014

“All future updates on this page will probably be from a family member. I hopefully may have the energy to write a few tweets (@_StephensStory). I will continue fighting for as long as I can, and whatever happens next I want you all to know I am currently in a good place mentally and at ease with the situation.

“That’s it from me. But life has been good. Very good.

“Thank you to my mum and the rest of my family for everything. Thank you to my friends for being amazing. Thank you to my medical team for the hard work and effort they’ve continually they’ve put towards me. And thank you everyone else for sharing this wonderful journey with me.

Perked up quite a bit since earlier. Still here, still fighting, still very weak, but still smiling :)
— Stephen's Story (@_StephensStory) April 22, 2014

“Generally I am feeling very weak and the slightest bit of movement is leaving me short of breath. I am also finding it tiring to speak and even typing this message is hard work.

“I am comfortable enough though, and all your messages and support have helped hugely in this.”