A terminally ill teenager, who put raising money for charity on his bucket list of things to do before he died, has raised more than £2 million for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Stephen Sutton, 19, was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 15, and despite surgeries and drug treatments the cancer spread and became incurable.
Sutton put a bucket list of things he would like to do before he died up on Facebook 15 months ago, with raising £10,000 for Teenager Cancer Trust as the number one item.
He has since managed to tick off most of the items on the list, but has said that his focus has changed to helping others, saying:
The main thing I want to do is help others- any help supporting my fundraising efforts for Teenage Cancer Trust would be hugely appreciated! :)
He since set a target of raising £1 million for the charity as news of his story and positivity spread, but on 22 April Sutton wrote a message on Facebook that he thought would be his last, as the cancer further ravaged his body. He thought he would not see his £1 million goal reached, saying:
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.
However, donations surged and broke £1 million, and then £1.5 million, and now £2 million, with Sutton miraculously surviving to see his target surpassed, as he posted on Facebook earlier today:
Hi everyone, it’s Stephen here- still here and still fighting!!! Throughout the whole journey I’ve been realistic about my position and at my last post I genuinely thought I was a goner…. But hey, I’m still here!!
I am still in a very vulnerable position. I am very limited in what I can do and am still permanently hooked up to oxygen. But I am in high spirits and blessed to have so much love and support around me. To get to see the million pound fundraising target being reached was just phenomenal!
