Mother of Stephen Sutton: Cancer signs were 'ignored'
The mother of Stephen Sutton has said signs of her son's cancer were "ignored," saying that it took months for his condition to be diagnosed.
Jane Sutton said it took several months for Stephen's condition to be recognised.
The 19 year old went on to become a household name when his list of accomplishments and cheerful disposition won him a legion of celebrity fans and prompted the biggest fund-raising effort in the Teenage Cancer Trust's history.
By the time of his death in May, having being diagnosed four years earlier, Stephen had raised millions for the charity, inspiring people to donate via his JustGiving web page and his blog, Stephen's Story.
More: Thousands pay final 'thumbs up' to Stephen Sutton
His mother praised the NHS care her son received - when it came - but said opportunities were missed to diagnose earlier.
According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, the teenager's mother said: "Stephen wasn't a child who went to the doctors, he had never been in hospital.
Read: Terminal cancer teen's charity pledge to emulate Stephen Sutton
"He had gone from being a healthy, sporty young lad to having three of the signs of cancer, plus a family history, and all of that was ignored.
"It is not good enough, really. When you present time and time again, you think something as simple as doing a CT scan or some type of scan.
"That just wasn't happening."
Stephen was awarded an MBE for his fund-raising efforts and instructed the Teenage Cancer Trust to ''keep doing what they do'' but the organisation said his efforts have allowed it to be ''more ambitious''.Stephen, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, won the hearts of thousands of supporters - including Prime Minister David Cameron and comedian Jason Manford - and made his trademark ''thumbs up'' sign a symbol of his positive attitude.
More: Stephen Sutton's 'special little notebook' for his mum