Stephen Sutton was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 15. Despite aggressive radiation and chemotherapy treatments, at 17 he was told that his condition was incurable.
Despite the grim prognosis, Stephen created a “bucket list” – a list of things that he wanted to do before he died. It was his work on ticking off the ambitions he listed that drew the world’s attention to his cause and at the 29th May, he had single handedly raised just short of £4,000,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Stephen passed away in his sleep on the 14th May aged 19 having achieved more in his short life that many of us will achieve in our own. It is for this reason that he is being remembered here and why the world should also remember him on Friday, 30th May – the day of his funeral.
Stephen’s friends and family have suggested that anyone aware of his story take a moment at 11am on Friday morning to give a Thumbs Up For Stephen – whether giving the thumbs up to a stranger, performing a random act of kindness or just doing something that makes them feel good. People can even take a cheerful “selfie” at this time, and if anyone local wants to share a photo, they are welcome to do so on the Delvin Facebook Page.
1) Raise £10,000 for teenage cancer trust- NEW TARGET.. £1,000,000 – DONE 2) Skydive for charity – DONE 3) Bungee jump for charity (at some place like the Macua tower, Verzasca dam, Victoria falls, etc) 4) Organize a charity party – DONE 5) Charity waxing and head shave 6) Write a book – DONE 7) Release a “tumour humour” joke book containing jokes, funny stories and anecdotes from cancer, that can help people to look at the brighter side of life 8) Organize a charity football match – DONE 9) Do a charity hitchhike visiting every Teenage Cancer Trust unit across the country 10) Write, record and release a charity single with my old band 11) Organize a charity gig – DONE 12) Go busking! – DONE 13) Persuade local schools to have a ‘get wiggy with it’ non uniform day – DONE 14) Charity quizzes at local pubs – DONE 15) Organize a charity ball – DONE 16) Host a charity ‘Come Dine With STE’ dinner party for friends – DONE 17) Organize and be part of a flash mob – DONE 18) Organize a gigantic game of musical chairs/pass the parcel/etc – DONE 19) Go to a carnival in Brazil. 20) Go to Wembley to see a football match – DONE 21) Go to Twickenham to see a rugby match – DONE 22) Fly somewhere first class – DONE 23) Get a tattoo – DONE 24) Drum in front of a huge crowd – DONE 25) Do some public speaking in front of a huge crowd of people – DONE 26) Go visit a famous waterfall 27) Throw a massive party for all my friends – DONE 28) Go on a ‘lads holiday’ – DONE 29) Go to Australia 30) Hug an animal that is bigger than me – DONE 31) Ride a Segway – DONE 32) Go to a Skrillex concert 33) Go see a darts competition – DONE 34) Get my name into the Guinness World Book of Records somehow 35) Go to CERN in Switzerland – DONE 36) Meet Jimmy Carr – DONE 37) Go to another music festival – DONE 38) Find someone with more surgical scars than me (>47cm worth) – DONE 39) Star as an extra in a film or music video – DONE 40) Get Tim Minchin to write a song for me – DONE 41) Learn to juggle 42) Inspire someone else to become a doctor or fundraiser – DONE 43) Have my portrait drawn – DONE 44) Crowd surf in a rubber dingy at a gig – DONE 45) Try breathing in xenon or sulphur dioxide and talking (has the opposite effect of helium) 46) Visit Machu Picchu in Peru
