The mother of Stephen Sutton, the terminally ill teenager who captured the hearts of the nation with his brave campaign that has raised £3.22m for charity, has posted a message to his facebook page to say that the brave teen passed away peacefully in his sleep this morning.
The 19 year old, who'd been regularly updating his blog about his condition and campaign to raise money, had spoken in the last few weeks of how his coughing and shortness of breath became 'incredibly severe' before coughing up a tumour, which briefly saw his condition improve.
'This morning I am relying on NO external oxygen to breath at all and I'm feeling bloody fantastic,' he said. 'The doctors have discussed what's happened and the only plausible conclusion is that I've literally coughed up a tumour.'
But on Sunday 11th May Stephen told supporters on Facebook that he was back in hospital after developing breathing difficulties. 'I had some breathing difficulties starting last night and after going to A&E have been admitted back to a ward for monitoring.'
'There's no immediate panic and I'm currently quite stable - I have been put on nebulisers and other meds which are currently helping my symptoms hugely.' He added: 'The doctors think there may be something restricting my airway again, they're not sure exactly what yet though (tumour regrowth, infection, inflammation, are all potential reasons mentioned), but are currently discussing the possibilities and my scan results to decide what to do next.'
His family had since left a message on his facebook page saying that because tumours have regrown in his airwaves, the 19-year-old was too sick to continue posting messages.
'Unfortunately in the last 24 hours Stephen's condition has deteriorated to where he can no longer communicate through this page himself.
Unfortunately the breathlessness which had him re-admitted to hospital is due to the regrowth of tumours which are blocking his airways, and not just due to infection as we had all been hoping.
He is currently comfortable and stable, and we will let you know of any further developments.
Right now however, as a family, we wish for a certain amount of privacy for us to spend what time he has remaining with him.
We appreciate everyone's concern, and for all the love and goodwill sent his way, and indeed ours too, we thank you deeply x.'
The inspiring 19 year old, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, began the campaign as part of a bucket list of 46 things to achieve after he was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer at the age of 15. After being told his cancer was inoperable last year, the brave teen wrote a list of 46 things he wanted to do, including a goal of raising £1m for The Teenage Cancer Trust.
Stephen has raised £3.22m for the Teenage Cancer Trust after putting together a bucket list of 46 things to do before he died
And it seems that Stephen's wish has been heard; his JustGiving page went viral (breaking all records on the site) and he's now raised £3.22m, with a host of celebs backing the inspiring teenager too. Piers Morgan tweeted: 'What a remarkable, inspiring, courageous young man ... please help him achieve his total' and comedian Jason Manford has been supporting him too 'Woohoo we got it trending #stephensstory. Well done everyone. Now keep going, we are so close.' Actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg have also tweeted their support for the campaign.
Funny man Jason Manford took to his Twitter page to raise awareness for Stephen's inspiring campaign
Stephen has been in and out of hospital since his campaign began, and before he had 'coughed up' a tumour his posts had stated that his condition has worsened and that he has limited time left, signing off with 'a final thumbs up'. He wrote that tumours in his chest had caused his right lung to collapse, leaving him short of breath after even the slightest exertion. 'It's a shame the end has come so suddenly, there's so many people I haven't got round to properly thank or say goodbye too. Apologies for that.'
Although repeating often that his condition was terminal, Stephen's positive attitude and vitality for life has captured the hearts of the nation.
What an inspiring and heart-breaking story from a courageous young man. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
Where to next?
-Donate to the Teenage Cancer Trust via Stephen's JustGiving page
