Stephen Sutton
Stephen Sutton | |
---|---|
Born | Stephen Robert Sutton 16 December 1994 Burntwood, England |
Died | 14 May 2014 Birmingham, England | (aged 19)
Cause of death | Cancer |
Occupation(s) | Blogger, charity activist |
Website | Sutton's JustGiving page Stephen's Story |
Stephen Robert Sutton MBE (16 December 1994 – 14 May 2014), was an English blogger and charity activist known for his blog Stephen's Story and his fundraising efforts for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity for the aid of teenagers with cancer. By the second anniversary of his death, £5.5 million had been raised in his memory.[1]
Sutton performed well at school, but withdrew his applications to university in 2012 after his terminal prognosis for
Sutton died on 14 May 2014 at the age of 19. A memorial service to him at
Early life
Stephen Robert Sutton was born on 16 December 1994 in
Like his father Andy, Sutton had
Illness and activism
Sutton was diagnosed with stage 3B colorectal cancer at the age of 15, and subsequently went through aggressive radiation and chemotherapy treatments. He was declared cancer-free, but a tumour returned behind his knee, which was treated by further chemotherapy. Doctors considered an amputation of Sutton's left leg, but the tumour had already spread to other parts of his lower body. In December 2012, two years after the initial diagnosis, the cancer was deemed incurable after spreading to the lungs and liver. Sutton did not ask how long he was expected to survive, choosing to measure his life in the difference he could make, rather than in time. On 24 January 2014, in a speech at London's O2 Arena, he called his first diagnosis "a good thing. It was a huge kick up the backside, it taught me to take nothing for granted, and gave me a lot of motivation for life".[4]
After his diagnosis, Sutton began participating in charity events with the
Sutton's goal of £1,000,000 was reached on 23 April 2014, and on 2 May, he was discharged from the hospital following an improvement in his condition. Later that same day he also met with prime minister
In September 2014, £2.9 million of the £4.96 million raised was invested in specialist cancer units for young people at seven British hospitals. A further £1.2 million was put towards 50 care scholarships at Coventry University, and £700,000 invested in improving cancer awareness information and helping patients attend the charity's annual weekend conference.[11] On 14 May 2016, the second anniversary of Sutton's death, £5.5 million had been raised.[1]
Skydiving and entering the Guinness Book of Records were two goals which Sutton achieved before his death. On 10 July 2015 at
Documentary
In April 2013, Sutton met Kevin Spacey's filmmaker-in-residence Grigorij Richters while rehearsing as part of the drummer group for the opening ceremony of the 2013 UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium. They quickly became friends. Richters and his team began following him around for several months, filming Sutton at home with his family and at several fundraisers. In the summer of 2013 Sutton went on holiday to Ibiza (his last travel) with his close friends. Richters equipped him with several GoPro cameras. The documentary is in development, as of 2016, and will be made into a feature-length film.[13][14] Richters said, "Two days before Stephen passed we talked about his legacy. He wanted to make sure that we remember him as the positive person he was and not as a cancer sufferer."
Besides making the documentary for Sutton, Richters and his team were tasked to rebrand his
The opening ceremony, titled "The Battle of Kings" was directed by Spacey's executive Assistant and
Ceremonies Manager Julien Pateau spoke about Sutton after his death:[19]
"I met with Stephen a year ago at Wembley, I couldn't believe how committed he was to following his dream – being part of the 400 drummers we had last year for the opening ceremony. I remember on the eve of the ceremony, his knee was hurting him so bad that he couldn't walk without crutches. He was watching the dress rehearsal from the stands with a constant smile on his face and told me: 'Don't worry Julien, tomorrow I'll be there whatever it takes!' Indeed, he took a double dose of painkillers and performed with all his passion for our ceremony. Stephen inspired me. I'm so proud to have met you and to have been even just a small part of your story".
Death and reaction
Following a lung collapse on 22 April 2014, Sutton was put on life-support but in a stable condition.[20] He died of colorectal cancer in his sleep at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham during the early hours of 14 May 2014, at the age of 19.[21] His death was announced on his Facebook page by his mother.[7][22] His elder brother Chris wrote on Twitter that
"I could sit here all day typing words like inspirational, proud, but frankly his life and what he achieved speaks for itself, it doesn't need a rambling eulogy from me. He'll still always be a bit of tw*t to me, hey he was my younger brother, it’s in the contract, but I was blessed to grow up with the best little tw*t you could have".[23]
By the time of his death, he had raised over £3.2 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust.[22] David Cameron praised Sutton for his "spirit and bravery" while Opposition Leader Ed Miliband said Sutton was an "inspiration". Miliband said:
"Stephen Sutton was the most inspiring person I've ever met and touched more lives than he will ever know. He was an incredibly positive young man and a credit to his family, to Burntwood and to humanity itself. The reason we took to him so passionately was because he was better than us, he did something that none of us could even imagine doing. In his darkest hour he selflessly dedicated his final moments to raising millions of pounds for teenagers with cancer. Some of Stephen's words will stay with me and others forever and they are words to live by – 'life isn't measured in time, it's measured in achievements'".[24]
On 21 May,
Posthumous recognition
Awards and honours
Sutton was appointed
On 7 October 2014, Sutton was recognised at the Pride of Britain Awards with the award for "Special Recognition". It was presented to his family by Jason Manford and Roger Daltrey.[31]
On 11 November 2014 Coventry University announced that it would posthumously award an Honorary Doctorate of Science, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to highlighting the unique needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer.[32] His mother collected it on his behalf later that month.[33]
Burntwood's
Music
After working with Sutton, local community organisation Gig Caritas announced that they would hold a concert in memory of him in Dudley, featuring West End stars Kieran Brown, Sabrina Aloueche and Katie Bernstein accompanied by a professional orchestra and choir made up of members from In Sound Company and Brierley Hill Musical Theatre Company.[39]
From 2014, the Download Festival has paid tribute to Sutton, and its main stage has been named after him. He attended the festival in 2013 as part of his "bucket list".[40]
References
- ^ a b c "Stephen Sutton's legacy: £5.5m raised in his memory". BBC News. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ "About Stephen". Stephensstory.co.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ a b c "How Stephen Sutton raised £3m for Teenage Cancer Trust". BBC News. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ a b Lockley, Mike (14 May 2015). "Remembering Stephen Sutton – in his own words – the speech that inspired the world". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Father of Stephen Sutton: My son's legacy helped me in my own battle against cancer". ITV News. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ Perry, Kath (13 November 2014). "Stephen Sutton's father: If doctors had listened to me, he might still be with us". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ^ a b Tran, Mark; Walker, Peter (14 May 2014). "Stephen Sutton, inspirational cancer charity fundraiser, dies in his sleep". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "Timeline". Stephensstory.co.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Jason Manford – I have a few comedy clubs dotted around..." Facebook. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ "Stephen Sutton: Fundraising cancer teen breaks world record". BBC News. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2014.
- ^ "Stephen Sutton: £5m charity fund plan revealed". BBC News. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
- ^ "Stephen Sutton skydive breaks a Guinness World Record". BBC News. 10 July 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ^ a b "Stephen Sutton: Footage of Ibiza holiday 'will be film'". BBC News. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ a b "Film tribute for Stephen Sutton underway". Express & Star. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Stephen Sutton: £400,000 raised since his death". BBC News. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Stephen Sutton's 28th bucket list tick: a holiday in Ibiza". The Daily Telegraph. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ a b Carter, Claire (28 May 2014). "Stephen Sutton's vigil to be 'fun' and awash with colour". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "Champion's League Final 2013 at Wembley Stadium". 25 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
- ^ "UEFA 'thumbs-up' remembers Stephen Sutton". UEFA.com. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ "Stephen's story – Hi guys, it's Stephen here again, and it..." Facebook. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- ^ Philby, Charlotte (14 May 2014). "Stephen Sutton: Fund-raising teenager dies after making over £3 million for charity". The Independent. Archived from the original on 25 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Fundraiser Stephen Sutton dies at 19". BBC News. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ Hiles, Hannah (14 May 2014). "Stephen Sutton's brother pays tribute: 'I was blessed to grow up with him'". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ^ Selby, Jenn (14 May 2014). "Stephen Sutton dies: David Cameron and Ricky Gervais lead tributes to fundraising teenager who lost his battle with cancer". The Independent. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
- ^ "BBC News – Stephen Sutton funeral and public vigil announced". BBC News. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Celebrating the life of Stephen Sutton with a vigil at Lichfield Cathedral". BBC News. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ^ "No. 60895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2014. p. b25.
- ^ a b "Stephen Sutton, Daniel Day-Lewis and Angelina Jolie on Birthday Honours list". BBC News. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ "Birthday Honours List 2014" (PDF). 13 June 2014. p. 83.
- ^ Cartledge, James (11 November 2014). "Stephen Sutton's mum felt 'bittersweet' at collecting his MBE". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "'Tenacious' Stephen Sutton honoured at Pride of Britain awards". The Daily Telegraph. 6 October 2014. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ "Coventry University – Honorary Doctorate awarded to Stephen Sutton". Coventry University. 11 November 2014.
- ^ "Stephen Sutton given honorary degree". ITV. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ "Heartless yobs vandalise tree dedicated to inspirational teenager Stephen Sutton just days after it was put up". Express & Star. 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "Fundraising sensation Stephen Sutton has Virgin train named after him". BBC Online. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ "Safari park names baby elephant after Stephen Sutton". BBC News. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ "Birmingham Mail – Stephen Sutton charity single storms up charts after his mother backs campaign=Birmingham Mail". 3 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ "BBC – Radio 1 – Charts – The Official UK Top 40 Singles Chart". Radio 1. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ "Kieran Brown, Katie Bernstein and More to Sing for Stephen Sutton in West Midlands, July 12". 3 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ "Download Festival 2015 to reprise thumbs up for inspirational Stephen Sutton". Birmingham Mail. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
External links
- Stephen's Story on Facebook
- Stephen's fundraising page on Justgiving
- Obituary in The Independent by Marcus Williamson