Mother of teenage cancer campaigner Stephen Sutton who raised £3M before he died says she still feels surrounded by his positive energy five years after his death
- Stephen Sutton raised £3 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust before he died
- The teen had been initially diagnosed with colorectal cancer at the age of 15
- Stephen’s mum Jane, from Staffordshire, has continued to raise money
- Jane told Lorraine Kelly that her son has left her ‘surrounded in positivity’
Teenage campaigner Stephen Sutton’s mother Jane has spoken about her son’s legacy five years since his death from cancer.
Appearing on Lorraine, Jane Sutton from Burntwood, Staffordshire, told the host how she’s continued to raise money in her son’s memory, after his efforts to raise £3M attracted worldwide attention.
‘It’s currently £5.7 million which is just an astonishing amount and it’s the things that the money is enabling the Teenage Cancer trust to do,’ she revealed.
And she said that she still feels her son’s positive energy around her, five years on from his death.
‘It has really been amazing. In the same way the outpouring of love that was there for Stephen helped him keep incredibly strong and kept him motivated,’ she said.
‘I like to think in a way, he has now left me surrounded in positivity – that same positive energy and that love, because I get some lovely messages from people I don’t even know.’
Scroll down for video
Teenage campaigner Stephen Sutton’s mother Jane, from Staffordshire, spoke about her son’s legacy five years after his death from cancer, as she appeared on Lorraine
Before his death in 2014 at the age of 19, Stephen raised £3 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust by ticking things off his bucket list
‘Stephen’s legacy is helping people now and it will continue to do so in the future.’
At the age of 15, Stephen was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and two years after the initial diagnosis, it was deemed incurable by doctors after the disease spread to other parts of his body including his liver and lungs.
Despite his diagnosis, Stephen vowed to tick as much off his bucket list as possible whilst raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust at the same time.
Before his death at the age of 19, Stephen achieved a number of goals including skydiving and entering the Guinness Book of Records.
Jane, who has continued to fundraise in her son’s honour, told Lorraine that her son left her surrounded by positivity
Sadly, Stephen passed away in 2014 and five years on, Jane revealed how much of a positive effect her son had on her.
After Lorraine commented on how positive and stoic Stephen was, Jane replied: ‘I think that’s the thing with Stephen, yes he was.
‘So in what people would describe as his darkest moments, he was positive.
‘All he wanted to do was stay positive. He was still so motivated and all he wanted to do was continue to raise money to help others. I’m so proud of him.’
Stephen, who had wanted to be a GP, vowed to help others by fundraising after doctors broke the news that his cancer was incurable
With the goal of raising £6 million to mark Stephen’s fifth anniversary, Jane will be taking part in a zip wire challenge in North Wales.
Explaining how Stephen’s life motto helps her through the different challenges she undertakes to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, Jane continued to comment: ‘For me, it’s remembering Stephen’s words to push yourself outside your comfort zone.
‘To just continue to take on new challenges and make the most out of every opportunity.
‘He was always incredibly driven and motivated and that continued with his fundraising.
Lorraine commended Jane and her continued efforts to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust, with the fund started by Stephen now reaching £5.7M
Jane revealed that she hopes to hit £6 million when she takes on a zip wire challenge in September
‘Stephen wanted to be a GP to help people and although his cancer diagnosis meant that that wasn’t possible, I still like to think that he did achieve that core purpose, because he did make a difference and he’s still managing to help people.’
In an interview with Express & Star, Jane revealed that her son would be so happy with the amount of money that has been raised for the charity.
‘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.’
Source: Read Full Article