Shantallow man to walk from Derry to Belfast for Cystic Fibrosis Trust

John Conlon is originally from the Shantallow area of Derry but now lives in Belfast with his wife Lorraine and sons Finn and Luca.

Now a full time carer for Lorraine, John will begin the challenge of walking from his native city to Belfast next week.

He hopes to complete it within six days and raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust while on his journey.

John left Derry when he was 18 to join the Irish Army. He was deployed a number of times, including to Africa, but retired from service after over 13 years when Lorraine was pregnant with their eldest son Finn.

Describing himself as ‘fairly fit’, John only began his training for the challenge around five weeks ago.

Their family have been shielding throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, as Lorraine’s condition puts her at high risk if she was to contract it.

John could only begin the training once lockdown conditions were eased slightly, but knew that he wanted to do something for the charity.

During the global pandemic, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust have been providing extra assistance to people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF).

This includes extra support over the phone to help people maintain their health and providing grants to allow people to buy exercise equipment, as exercise is extremely important for people with CF.

John’s wife Lorraine was just six months old when she was diagnosed with the genetic condition.

There is no cure for CF, however a range of new drugs had been made available to people in the North which are slowing the decline in lung function and extending life expectancy.

“I would have got sick quite a lot as a baby and my Mum knew there as something wrong,” Lorraine explained.

“She pushed for tests to be done and that is when I was diagnosed. I have a younger sister who was tested and diagnosed at birth.”

Since then, Lorraine’s daily life has revolved around treatment and physio.

“Physio can be two to three times a day. It helps to clear sputum, but if I am a bit unwell I could spend hours on it. It can be exhausting and does take up a lot of your times, especially when you have an exacerbation.

“The last four years have been my most difficult in terms of my health. I have been in hospital every other month needing repeated IV antibiotics because treatment at home wasn’t maintaining my condition.”

However, all that has now changed as Lorraine started one of the new drugs just before the global pandemic reached the north.

“I was lucky to start it in February and this is the longest I have gone without having to go into hospital. I’m so glad I haven’t needed any medical attention during the pandemic.”

Lorraine said her diagnosis has never held her back in life.

“I have done everything I ever wanted to do in life, I never missed out on anything. My mum didn’t treat us any differently and I am really grateful for that.”

She said that John is ‘amazing’ and said she could not ‘do without him’.

“He is crazy and when he goes for a walk he is like a machine, he just doesn’t stop.”

John will be waved off from the Guildhall on Monday morning by his family, including Lorraine, their children and his sisters, who all still live in the city.

John’s route will take him from Derry to Castlederg and then onto Omagh on the first day.

“The reason we are going that way is to pay homage to a fundraiser in that area, called Liam McHugh, who has raised thousands of pounds over the years for the CF Trust,” John said.

“I will be walking 26 miles that day and it will be the hardest day. I will be doing over 20 miles a day.”

John, who is training to join Lagan Search and Rescue, will finish the walk at Stormont and the crew will escort him there.

To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lorraine-conlon and to catch up with John’s progress visit: https://www.facebook.com/Cystic-Fibrosis-walk-Derry-to-Belfast