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Teenager with incurable cancer who has raised more than £3 million for charity DISCHARGED from hospital after ‘remarkable’ fight back

  • The Prime Minister visited Stephen Sutton, 19, in hospital this morning
  • He was also pictured encouraging people to support his fundraising efforts
  • Mr Cameron described Stephen as ‘an amazing guy’ and ‘an inspiration’
  • Stephen is in hospital in Birmingham with incurable bowel cancer
  • Thought he was days from death, but his condition has improved recently
  • To donate, visit Stephen’s Just Giving page by clicking here

By
Emma Innes
and Amanda Williams


Published:

04:50 EST, 2 May 2014

|
Updated:

13:02 EST, 2 May 2014

A teenager with incurable cancer who has raised more than £3 million for charity – and was this morning praised by the Prime Minister – has been discharged from hospital.

Stephen Sutton, 19, was being treated for multiple tumours at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was recently pictured giving his ‘final thumbs up’ from his hospital bed – convinced that he would not make it out.

But Stephen has announced on Facebook that he has now been discharged after a ‘quite remarkable’ recovery.

Stephen Sutton, 19, was being treated for multiple tumours at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital and was recently pictured giving his ‘final thumbs up’ from his hospital bed – convinced that he would not make it out

Mr Cameron has tweeted a link to Stephen’s Just Giving page, where he is raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, urging people to donate, saying: ‘An honour to meet @-StephensStory today – his courage is an inspiration to all of us.’

On Facebook, Stephen wrote: ‘I then also have some more great news…I’ve been discharged from hospital!!

‘After being at a point where it seemed like I’d never make it out it feels so awesome to be able to put that. The recovery I’ve undergone recently is quite remarkable.

‘It has been difficult, there is an emotional trauma attached to nearly dying (a few times) that will take a while to get used to, but ultimately I now feel even more fortunate to just be here and the experience serves as a potent reminder to go out there and live life as freely and as positively as possible.

‘The simple things we take for granted are all blessings, and living truly is a privilege we should all try and enjoy and make the most of!’

Mr Cameron was pictured holding a message encouraging people to donate to Stephen Sutton’s campaign.

He also visited the 19-year-old bowel cancer patient – whose condition has improved in the last week – at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham this morning.

David Cameron (pictured with radio presenters John Fox and Giuliano Casadei) has lent his support to the fundraising efforts of Stephen Sutton

Mr Cameron described Stephen as ‘an inspiration’ and asked people to continue to help him in his quest to raise as much money as possible for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

The Prime Minister also appeared on the Birmingham-based Free Radio where he told listeners: ‘[Stephen] is an amazing guy. When you watch his YouTube video it’s one of the most amazing things you will see. He is an inspiration. He is an inspirational Briton.’

During
Mr Cameron’s visit, lasting around 15 minutes, Stephen, whose
fund-raising for the Teenage Cancer Trust has won backing from people
around the world, posed for pictures alongside the Prime Minister, his
mother Jane and the consultant treating him.

Stephen,
from Burntwood, Staffordshire, has raised more than £3.1 million in
donations from 131,000 people since posting Stephen’s Story, a film
about his bucket list, on the internet.

Mr
Cameron, who gave Stephen a letter saying he was humbled by his bravery
and positive attitude, had previously missed out on meeting the
teenager when he visited Downing Street to tick off an item on his
bucket list last year.

After visiting the ward where Stephen is being cared for, Mr Cameron said: ‘He’s amazing, just an inspiration.

‘Anyone
who watches that video on YouTube just can’t help but be impressed by
his bravery and courage but also his incredible warmth and passion for
life.

‘It really is extraordinary.’

Stephen was diagnosed with bowel cancer when he was just 15. He had surgery to remove a tumour but the cancer returned a year later and he was told that it was incurable

Stephen
said he has discussed the possibility of trying a new trial drug
treatment, which would be his fifth regime of chemotherapy.

However, for the time being Stephen said he and his family aimed to ‘Just get a bit of normality back into our lives’.

He added: ‘This extra period of time I now have feels like a gift, one that I’m determined to use productively.

‘I’ll be probably be straight back to doing some crazy stuff/events/etc soon, but for now, it just feels great to be home!!’

Speaking to Birmingham-based Free Radio, Mr Cameron added: ‘He’s actually been to Downing Street but sadly I wasn’t there.

‘One of the things on his bucket list was to make a speech in Downing Street.

‘When you watch that YouTube video, it’s one of the most inspiring things you will ever see.

‘Here’s this guy who is fighting a disease but he’s also got time to inspire hundreds of thousands of people.’

In
his letter to Stephen, Mr Cameron said: ‘I wanted to write to say how
inspiring it has been to watch the progress of your campaign.

‘The way you have responded to such a difficult diagnosis is incredible; your bravery and positive attitude is truly humbling.

‘You
have caught the attention of people around the world and helped raise
an enormous amount of money to support other teenage cancer sufferers.

‘You have my admiration and gratitude for all that you have achieved.’

Stephen, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer when he was just 15.

He had surgery to remove a tumour but the cancer returned a year later and he was told it was incurable.

When he learned that his cancer was terminal, Stephen wrote a bucket list of things he wanted to achieve before he died.

Top of the list was to raise £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

His fundraising efforts were so successful that he soon upped the target to £1 million.

However, two weeks ago his condition suddenly took a turn for the worse and he believed he had just days to live.

At this point, he was only about half way to his target so he launched a social media campaign to encourage people to donate so he could achieve his goal before he died.

Stephen has been helped in his fundraising efforts by the comedian Jason Manford. Mr Manford held a sell-out last minute performance (pictured) to raise money for Stephen’s fund

Dozens of celebrities, including Russell Brand, have posted messages of support on Twitter

His story went viral and within hours he had hit the £1 million target.

With the help of the comedian Jason Manford he has continued to raise money from his hospital bed.

The total currently stands at £3.1 million and Stephen’s Thumbs Up For Stephen campaign has seen dozens of celebrities from Russell Brand to Sir Chris Hoy and Piers Morgan post messages of support on Twitter.

In the last two weeks Stephen’s condition has also improved.

When he was taken to hospital two weeks ago tumours had caused one of his lungs to collapse and he was dependent upon breathing support.

However, he had surgery yesterday and his condition has improved.

Sir Chris Hoy has also encouraged people to help Stephen raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust

Yesterday he told his Facebook followers: ‘This morning I had the operation and everything went well!

‘The aim was to remove anything nasty that was blocking my airway and maybe put a stent in.

‘There is still some tumour in my lung, but the surgeon is confident he has removed as much of the tumour from my airway as possible, so much so he thought putting the stent in wasn’t necessary as my airway seemed to be pretty fully clear (which is great news).

‘The airway will need monitoring, but the outcome now is that my right lung may start to re-expand and my breathing generally stay functional for as long as possible!!’

To help Stephen in his fundraising. Click here.

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Comments (19)

what you think

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Still Grumpy,

Derby, United Kingdom,

3 hours ago

Publicity stunt Dave? I’m sure your PR guru will be pleased!

The Truth,

World, Vatican,

4 hours ago

Here comes the band wagon now ‘Jump’.

clive,

penrith, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

Did Cameron tell him he is to be sent for a ‘fot for work’ assessment?

will,

gillingham, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

Perhaps this clown thinks he will get a few brownie points.{Pass the bucket.

Barbara White,

Bergerac, France,

5 hours ago

Pity The same cannot be said for him.

Enquirer,

Meriden, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

We should celebrate Stephen Sutton. We would should celebrate all those celebrities and politicians for (surely) their generous (i.e. more than the minimum amount they promote, but less than the amount they have raised from others through concerts etc.) contributions to Stephen’s campaign (IF they have done so…)

julie61,

South Gloucestershire,

5 hours ago

Stephen should be given the MBE .

Paul,

Leeds UK,

5 hours ago

Cameron would turn up at the opening of an envelope

Lucifer,

Gillingham, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

Another cynical ploy to get votes by Camoron.

Sheldon69,

Glasgow, United Kingdom,

5 hours ago

Amazing lad. His selflessness will no doubt help change hundreds of lives – deserves to be on the honours list for sure.

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