Banbridge GP's push to support cancer patients

Almost a year on from his devastating diagnosis, inspirational Doctor Jonathan Dillon is also raising funds to help, and give hope to, other cancer patients.

For the month of January, he is taking on a 100 push-ups a day challenge for Cancer Research UK.

It’s a way to honour the journey he’s been on, while also supporting the charity’s life-saving research and work.

“Cancer doesn’t just affect the individual - it touches families, communities and workplaces,” the local doctor said.

“Research has made huge strides in treatment and survival rates, but there’s still so much more to be done.”

Doctor Dillon was diagnosed with bowel cancer on February 28 last year. It came as a bolt from the blue, as the dad-of-three had no obvious signs or symptoms.

On March 22, just two days after his 50th birthday, he underwent a right hemicolectomy.

The surgery went well, but the recovery was slow and challenging.

Speaking to the Chronicle, the Banbridge medic, who was named GP of the Year in 2021, told how his faith had sustained him through a testing 12 months.

“The cancer diagnosis certainly wasn't expected,” he revealed.

“I had a healthy diet, I’ve never smoked, I did lots of exercise and there was no family history of any cancer.

“I found that I was getting more and more tired. It felt like a flu was working on me, I didn’t ignore it but I did delay a little bit in asking for help.

“I spoke to my own GP and got my bloods done. My blood count was at the point that I was almost needing a blood transfusion, yet I hadn't any obvious signs of bowel cancer.

“I then got referred and had a scope up and down, and that was when they saw a 7cm tumour in the right-hand side of my bowel.

“That’s the side where you don't necessarily have any symptoms from, it sort of grows quietly.

“The surgery went really well, they removed 38 lymph nodes including lymph nodes throughout my abdomen; the surgeon said they were enlarged but there was no cancer in any of them.”

After six months of rest, recuperation and recovery, Doctor Dillon was able to return to the surgery.

“The tiredness continued beyond August, but I was determined to get back as I love my job and feel very fortunate to do it,” he explained.

“I feel I'm recovering well. I still have some ongoing problems, but nothing limiting or preventing me from working.

“My colleagues have been incredibly supportive throughout. It was a big difficulty for a full-time doctor to just suddenly step away.

“But they basically gave me a hug and said, ‘we don’t want to hear from you until we hear good news - we will sort out the work’. I couldn’t have asked for better support.”

The doctor revealed how he had coped with his own health ordeal.

“I just tried to become a patient and allowed my GP and surgeon to be the people who made decisions for me,” he said.

“I tried my best not to look up studies or evidence because I actually found that wasn't helping me, it was making me more anxious.

“My faith is very strong, it’s been tested, but it has been very helpful at really dark moments.

“I have amazing friends and they have been there for my wife, kids and myself.

“I think through my own journey I’ve learnt that I’m more resilient than I give myself credit for.

“I also think it proves that cancer can happen to anyone and, if you have symptoms that are ongoing, it is important not to ignore them and seek help.

“I have been amazed and overwhelmed at the treatments and consultations I have had, and that's not because I'm a GP or working in the NHS.

“I have had really good care from the cancer community nurses in the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald where I had my surgery.

“They have a wraparound bowel cancer support team and I've had really good support from some of the cancer charities as well.”

The doctor hopes his story can encourage others on their cancer journey.

“There’s more and more people living with cancer, more people are surviving, so my focus for this year is my future having had a devastating diagnosis.

“You can live with cancer and have a future with cancer, so I’m trying not to just say that - but to live that out.”

Doctor Dillon is halfway through his month-long push-up challenge and has raised nearly £3,000 so far.

“I would have been able to bang out 100 press-ups years ago,” he revealed.

“It has been a challenge for me to get back to doing that.

“I thought if I can do that, maybe it will give encouragement to other people, even to do some push-ups, and if we can focus on healthy diet, exercise and lifestyle changes, then that is actually good for mental and physical health. So, I’m trying to practice what I preach.

“I set my fundraising target at £150, and I’m blown away by people's generosity and the amazing comments that have been shared with me.”

The GP added: “I’m also really keen to promote screening because the bowel cancer screening rate isn't as high in Northern Ireland as it should be.

“If you do get screening it can pick up Stage 1 cancer much earlier and that means there’s more treatment options and better survival, so I'm really keen to get NI’s screening level higher.

“It’s the only cancer screening for both men and women. In Northern Ireland, screening is between the ages of 60-74 and in Wales and Scotland it starts at 50.

“NHS England just released earlier this week that they plan to drop the screening age to 50 (to match Wales and Scotland).

“I will be working hard to lobby for a change in the screening age across Northern Ireland to match GB - 13% of all bowel cancers are diagnosed between the ages of 50-59.

“Bowel screening detects many more cases at Stage 1 where there are more treatment options and the five-year survival rate is much higher (93.5%).”

After a rollercoaster 2024, Doctor Dillon, who is married to primary school teacher Amanda, and dad to Thomas (21), Samuel (18) and Joshua (13), said he was feeling optimistic for the future.

“I’ve moved on with my life and I'm getting on with being a GP, a husband and a father.

“I’m doing so much better, and I’m incredibly grateful for the support I’ve received from family, friends and colleagues.

“Now, I want to give back and help others facing cancer.”

Donate to Doctor Dillon’s challenge via the following link: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/jonathans-giving-page-10186