UK teenage cancer sufferer dies after raising $5.4 million for charity

It is news that will sadden many supporters won over by Stephen Sutton's mix of determination, generosity and good humor in the face of his terminal illness. While he lost the battle to stay alive, he achieved a remarkable feat: Having set himself the challenge of raising some $17,000 for a teenage cancer charity, he ultimately inspired over $5.4 million in donations, CNN reports. On his website, Stephen's Story, he tells how he was first diagnosed with cancer in 2010, at age 15. "In a weird way, I see my first cancer diagnosis as a good thing. It was a huge kick up the backside. It gave me a lot of motivation for life." He created a "bucket list" on Facebook of 46 things he wanted to do before he ran out of time. "Some things on my bucket list include sky diving. Crowd surfing in a rubber dinghy. Playing drums in front of a huge crowd. I ended up doing it live at Wembley. Hug an animal bigger than me." But, he says, as he checked off each item, something else happened. "Since starting the bucket list, I've had people come up to me and offer to raise funds for me. To go on holiday or tick off a new item on my bucket list. But I've actually refused. And decided to give the money to charity instead." That decision led to a stupendous fundraising effort that won him the backing of celebrities and the general public, despite doctors telling him in November 2012 that his illness was terminal. On the Facebook page he set up to run that effort, Stephen's Story, he describes himself as a "teenager with incurable cancer just trying to enjoy life as much as possible, while raising funds for charity to help others." And when his condition took a turn for the worse this spring, the news made national headlines. After rallying briefly, he was readmitted to a hospital Sunday with breathing difficulties.

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