Stephen Sutton's bucket list of 46 things he wants to do even as he fights cancer, triggers a nationwide reaction
London: Nineteen-year-old Stephen Sutton’s bucket list of 46 things he wanted to do before illness finally claims him has gone on to trigger a nationwide phenomenon.
People worldwide were inspired by the terminally ill cancer patient and donated money to the Teenage Cancer Trust, bringing the total to more than £2.58 million. Sutton’s aim was to raise £10,000 for the charity, but quickly broke through that target with the help of the fundraising website JustGiving.
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On Stephen Sutton’s bucket list is visiting the ruins of Machu Picchu
As a result he decided to aim for £1 million, but soon his efforts went viral and become an Internet sensation.
Celebrities, including Simon Pegg, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Adlington, Stephen Fry and Russell Brand, chipped in to cross the £2m barrier.
That prompted JustGiving itself to donate £50,000 to mark the record Stephen has set. It tweeted: “Stephen we think you’re amazing. It’s been a privilege supporting your fundraising. You’ve now broken all fundraising records on JustGiving — so here is a special donation from JustGiving.”
The funds range from £5 to £20 from around 104,000 individuals.
Diagnosed with bowel cancer four years ago, Stephen’s condition is incurable. Stephen preferred not to despair but raise money for charity as part of a bucket-list of things to do before he died.
So far, he has skydived, bungee jumped, organised a fundraising football match and a flashmob, flown first class, got a tattoo, hugged an animal bigger than him, learnt to juggle, ridden a Segway and even found someone with more surgical scars than him, as part of the charity project.
On the pending list is a trip to the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, travel to Australia and dancing with carnival-goers in Brazil.
Last Tuesday, his health took a toll for the worse and he posted a picture on Facebook from his Birmingham hospital bed, giving a thumbs up: “I’ve done well to blag things as well as I have up till now, but unfortunately I think this is just one hurdle too far,” he posted.
Two days later, despite one of his lungs collapsing he was still alive. One Friday, he thought he had been a “goner”, but was “still fighting”. This update inspired many more donations.
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