The entire city was adorned with yellow ribbons in honor of the brave cancer campaigner

May 31, 2014 07:42 GMT  ·  By

Thousands of mourners have gathered outside Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire, the other day to celebrate the life of Stephen Sutton, the teenage cancer victim who raised more than £4 million (approx. $6.7/€4.9 million) for a cancer charity.

The family organized a two-day vigil that started on Thursday, when the 19-year-old boy’s body was brought to the cathedral in a horse-drawn carriage, and ended yesterday afternoon with a private funeral in which family and close friends said their final farewell.

On Thursday, the streets of Staffordshire were crowded with total strangers who never met Stephen, but came to say their final goodbye to the brave boy who touched their hearts.

As Stephen’s mother, Jane, said, the teenager wanted to “put the fun in funeral,” so the vigil was a celebration of his life and mourners were asked not to wear black at the event. Mrs. Sutton encouraged people to just light candles and walk happily past his coffin, or give a thumbs up for Stephen via social media.

“Do something that makes you and others happy in Stephen’s memory,” she wrote on Facebook.

The brave teen’s coffin, adorned with two simple wreaths, was transported from his family home in Burntwood to the cathedral at 6 p.m., as dozens of people lined the streets putting their thumbs up. When the cortege arrived at Lichfield, the crowds burst into applause.

The entire city turned into a sea of yellow during the two-day celebration, with shops and businesses emblazoned with yellow ribbons in memory of the teenager’s life and achievements. Stephen's mother and brother released 19 balloons into the air – one for each year of his life.

During the service, the Dean of Lichfield resumed Stephen’s amazing character saying that he was “glad and proud to be part of the same human race which had as one of its examples Stephen Sutton.”

“It would be usual now, if this was a church service, to say 'rest in peace' but I can't imagine Stephen doing that. He'd say ‘Live it up’, so one more time let's give him a thumbs up,” he went on to say, as cited by Daily Mail.

Stephen was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2010, and although doctors removed the tumor from his bowel, the cancer returned two years ago and he was told that it was incurable.

The courageous way he fought terminal cancer impressed people across the world and inspired an entire nation to give. While he had originally launched his fundraising appeal with a target of £10,000 ($16,700/€12,300), the inspirational teenager managed to raise more than £3million ($5/€3.6 million) before his passing, and donations continued to pour in after his death was announced on May 14.