Awesome! £3m cancer hero’s joy as hospital lets him go home
THE inspirational teenage cancer patient Stephen Sutton was discharged from hospital last night – just over a week after he gave a final ‘thumbs-up’ believing he was going to die.
Stephen, who has raised an astonishing £ 3.4million for charity, told his millions of Facebook followers: ‘I 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.’
Stephen, 19, who earlier yesterday was visited in hospital by David Cameron, was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2010 when he was 15. Doctors told him that he would be unlikely to survive for more than a few years.
He decided to write a ‘bucket list’ of 46 things that he wanted to achieve before he died, including skydiving and watching a football match at Wembley. But he has since changed his focus to raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. His blogs and YouTube videos – which document his illness – have touched the hearts of millions, turning his fundraising activity into a remarkable triumph.
Earlier this week surgeons removed parts of a tumour from the teenager’s airway. He then wrote on his Facebook page: ‘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, which is great news.’
Last night Stephen, of Burntwood, Staffordshire, told his followers: ‘The recovery I’ve under- gone 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.
‘The experience serves as a potent reminder to go out there and live life as freely and as positively as possible.
‘Physically my body has been through a lot recently so naturally I will need some time to recover.’
He said his immediate plan was to try to get some ‘normality’ back into his life, adding: ‘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!!’
Stephen said the first thing he wanted to do was to have a homecooked meal with his parents and sleep in his own bed.
He also revealed that, if he is well enough, he may be eligible for a drug trial.
The Prime Minister had stopped off to see Stephen in Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, posing for pictures with him. Mr Cameron gave him a letter which read: ‘Dear Stephen, 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.’ Celebrities including comedians Jason Manford, Alan Davies and Bill Bailey, as well as The Who frontman Roger Daltrey and actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Simon Pegg and Stephen Fry have also backed Stephen’s campaign.
Visit justgiving.com/Stephen-Sutton-TCT to donate to Stephen’s charity fund.