14 DAY TRIAL // Stephen Sutton is an incredibly brave teenager who has literally raced against time to raise £1 million ($1.68/€1.21 million) for charity after he was diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, his condition has now deteriorated so much that he has decided to write a final message to his thousands of Facebook followers saying, “It’s a final thumbs up from me!”
The 19-year-old British youngster from Burntwood, Staffordshire, has documented his terrible fight against cancer on social media for 15 months, but he now feels that he is close to death and has issued a heartbreaking farewell to his supporters.
“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,” Stephen wrote in his touching Facebook message, which is accompanied by a picture showing him in a hospital bed with a large smile on his face.
He 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. Medics estimated that he wouldn’t live more than a few years. Since then, he has devoted his time to raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Yesterday, the surprisingly optimistic and altruistic teen has announced his fans that he doesn't have too much time left, and called for their help to reach his ambitious goal of raising £1 million ($1.68/€1.21 million) for the charitable organization.
So far, through his amazing story and selfless spirit, Stephen has managed to raise £582,000 ($980,000/€710,000), and has encouraged his fans to carry on the fundraising even after his passing.
“There were also so many exciting projects and things I didn’t get to see out. Hopefully, some will continue and if you want to carry on the fundraising please do,” he said.
When he found out that there was no cure for his illness, Stephen didn’t give up hope and decided to create a bucket list of things he wanted to do before dying. Since January, he managed to fulfill 35 of the 46 wishes.
Last week, he impressed yet again when he revealed that he was determined to tick off a particular entry on his list, namely raising the aforementioned sum for charity to “prove there has been some purpose to my short life.”
But sadly, in his latest post he announces he won’t be able to complete them all, but promises to keep fighting until the end.
“All future updates on this page will probably be from a family member. 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,” he adds.