Stephen Sutton: Fundraiser aims to top £6m five years after he passed away

By the time he passed away Stephen had raised an incredible £3 million for the charity that had supported him throughout his cancer journey.

This week marks five years since his passing but Stephen, who was from Burntwood, remains alive in the hearts and minds of thousands of people across the world. The 19-year-old’s legacy continues to help other young people diagnosed with cancer as £5.7m has been raised in his memory.

Stephen’s mother Jane Sutton said he would have thought the amount raised was “absolutely awesome”, as it has helped young people with cancer access care in Teenage Cancer Trust units and benefit from the specialist nurses and youth support co-ordinators.

“I tend to focus on celebrating Stephen’s life because of everything that has been achieved in his name and everything that continues to happen,” she said.

Stephen was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 15 and went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but was told his cancer was incurable in December 2012.

Stephen’s father had fought the disease twice, as both were predisposed to it as they had lynch syndrome.

Stephen passed away on May 14, 2014.

Speaking on the anniversary of his passing, Jane said the events held in his memory over recent days were “absolutely incredible”.

She said: “Each year in May there is a ‘Stephen Sutton Curry Night’ held at Anan’s restaurant in Burntwood and the Stephen Sutton Ride-Out which takes place on the Sunday closest to the May 14, both of which raise money in his memory.

“It’s the seventh year for the ride out. Stephen took part in the very first one back in 2013 and it’s continued since then and I always ride pillion on the lead bike with the organiser, Colin Jacques.

“There were more than 400 bikes, scooters and classic cars this year and it was absolutely incredible to see the parade decorated with yellow ribbons in his memory, it’s fantastic to witness it.

“When these events are organised I do wonder if the support is still going to be there, but as this year proved, it seems to be stronger than ever.

“People still come out and support us along the route and it’s always very emotional as we approach Burntwood and see the crowds of people who come out to give us a wave or thumbs-up.

“That day is so heart-warming, as there is a constant stream of people coming up and telling me why they’re taking part.

“I talk about Stephen a lot so I think it doesn’t deter people from approaching me, which is lovely as I get to hear a lot of stories.”

As of December last year, £2.87m raised in Stephen’s name had refurbished 15 specialist Teenage Cancer Trust wards in NHS hospitals across the UK; £1.2m had been spent on education and awareness; £975,000 on research and training; £500,000 on information and support and £140,000 on events for young people with cancer.

Jane said: “To mark the fifth anniversary of Stephen’s passing it would be lovely to see Stephen’s fundraising total reach £6m. As we’re currently at £5.7million I think this is well within our grasp.

“We’ve got lots planned to raise funds, one of the bigger events being ‘Zip Wire for Stephen’ on September 7 at Zip World in North Wales. We want hundreds of thrill seekers to come and join us for it and hopefully there it will also incorporate another Guinness World Record attempt.

“What a milestone it will be if we reach £6m. I can always remember seeing £10,000 on Stephen’s bucket list and thinking ‘how are we going to raise that much’ and everyone came together and it was achieved in a matter of weeks.

“It’s continuing Stephen’s legacy which is really important to me, making sure people remember him and the wonderful work of Teenage Cancer Trust which gets no government funding, relying totally on public donations.

“Stephen would just be over the moon with it, in his own words he would have said it was ‘absolutely awesome’ what he has achieved.

“He wanted every young person to access the same services that he did, and he’s helped the charity move towards its goal of reaching every young person, between 13 and 24 years of age, diagnosed with cancer in the UK.

“Some of his money has gone towards an outreach service so young people can access the charity’s services without being on a Teenage Cancer Trust unit.

“They’re not like normal wards, there’s wi-fi, a funky juke box, pool table and electronic games consoles. They’re made as homely as possible.

“His money has also been used for education and awareness in schools, encouraging young people to speak up as some will go to the doctors six or seven times with the same concerns.”

Jane said Stephen is in her thoughts every day, but fundraising has given her something positive to concentrate on.

She added: “Fundraising has definitely given me a focus. I had a choice when he passed away, I didn’t have to continue his legacy but I just thought about how hard he’d worked in raising that money and everything he did. It seemed such a shame for it to disappear.

“The same people who helped Stephen and kept him strong are now surrounding me.

“It’s always mixed emotions and Stephen is in my thoughts every day - not just on the anniversary. In everything I do there are memories of him. But for me I try to focus on celebrating all that he has achieved.”

To register for the ‘Zip Wire for Stephen’ on September 7 call Zip World on 01248 601444 and quote ‘Ste46’ or find out more via teenagecancertrust.org/zipwireforstephen.