Cancer fundraiser teen to have op

UPDATED: A terminally ill British teenager, who has raised over £3 million for Teenage Cancer Trust, is going to be having an operation soon.

The teen was extremely ill last week, fighting for his life and posting a poignant final farewell via his Facebook page, Stephen’s Story.

However, Stephen Sutton, 19, of Burntwood, Staffordshire, who was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer at the age of 15, is fighting back.

Yesterday the teen posted about his pending operation on his Facebook page:

“Today I’ve rested lots and took things pretty easy, but am happy to say I’m still feeling very good and healthy! My medical team have discussed a plan and in the next couple of days I will be going for an operation (the same one that at the beginning of the week I was in no position to even consider because I was so weak). 

“There are still risks associated with the surgery, but the potential benefits outweigh the risks so we’ll just have to continue the fight and go for it. The plan is to take a look down my airway (bronchoscopy), clear out the opening to my lower right lung (via ‘disobliteration’, removing tumour or other messy bits that shouldn’t be there) and then hopefully placing in a covered stent if appropriate (to help keep the airway open as long as possible). I’ll keep you all updated.”

In 2013 Stephen was told that his cancer was inoperable, and this prompted him to write a bucket list of 46 things he wanted to achieve.

One of his goals was to raise £10,000 for Teenage Cancer Trust, and he took to the internet to help achieve his target.

After his final wish went viral many people contributed, including a number of celebrities, helping the West Midlands teen surpass his target. 

Visits to Stephen’s JustGiving page soared, with his story being shared and re-tweeted thousands of times, helping him to hit his a million at around 11am on Wednesday.

Piers Morgan tweeted: “What a remarkable, inspiring, courageous young man … please help him achieve his total.”

Sports presenter Clare Balding ‏said: “I met Stephen Sutton in January. He’s amazing.”

UK comedian Jason Manford tweeted: “Woohoo we got it trending #stephensstory. Well done everyone. Now keep going, we are so close.”

Last Monday Stephen wrote on Facebook about his worsening health: “Currently I am in a very vulnerable position and do not know what will happen next.

“My right lung has collapsed and I am very weak (I’m finding it hard to type this message)

“I will fight as hard as I can, but if the worst happens I just want to say thank you all for sharing the journey with me – it’s been wonderful.”

So far, Stephen has managed to raise a staggering £3,132,624, beating his original £10,000 target sum for Teenage Cancer Trust. 

To donate click here.