The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Mourners gather as total hits £4m
MOURNERS HAVE turned out to celebrate the life of an inspirational teenage cancer victim on the day a fighting fund he launched topped £4 million.
Over 1,200 gathered outside Lichfield Cathedral yesterday to witness the sombre arrival of a horsedrawn carriage bearing Stephen Sutton, whose bravery in the face of terminal cancer touched people across the world.
The 19-year-old is lying in a place of honour inside the cathedral until today, after the family requested the public be allowed to celebrate the life of a young man who had urged people to live life to the full.
Stephen’s arrival at the cathedral coincided with news earlier in the day that more than £4 million in donations had been pledged in his name to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
As his hearse arrived, drawn by four white horses, resplendent in yellow head dresses, there was spontaneous applause from the crowd.
A bright yellow wreath bearing the icon of a smiley face lay beside the white coffin.
The teenager, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, had originally launched his fundraising appeal with a target of £10,000.
But a simple determination to live his life, while under the constant shadow of terminal bowel cancer — creating a bucket list and spreading awareness to other young people — saw his campaign gain rapid momentum.
Before his death, Stephen, who was diagnosed aged just 15, said: “I don’t see the point in measuring life in terms of time any more.
“I’d rather measure life in terms of making a difference.”
Following the two-day vigil ending this afternoon, Stephen’s family are to hold a private funeral.
However, at 11am today, Stephen’s mother Jane has asked people to join in a Thumbs Up For Stephen event, and “do something to make others happy”.
Paying tribute, the Dean of Lichfield, the Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, told the gathered mourners Stephen has been “an inspiration and we all want to share in the sense of grateful, hopeful possibility.”