Allison John: GP with cystic fibrosis who campaigned on organ donation

When Allison John was 13 and watching the science programme Tomorrow’s World, a segment on gene therapy came up. This was cutting edge stuff in the early 1990s and John had always been fascinated by science.

The presenter was discussing how gene therapy was set to transform the lives of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), who, they said, had an average lifespan of around 13 years. John, who had been diagnosed with CF at six weeks, turned to her mum, Helen, and said, “Does this mean I’m going to die this year?”

The young teenager wasn’t scared, she was defiant, said Helen.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4 in September 2023 John (also known by her married name Allison Angell) said, “From then on, I kind of wanted to take my life into my own hands and change the future and make it as good as possible.”

A key part of that future was becoming a doctor, something that required incredible determination. Helen described her daughter as being “made of granite.”

John grew up on a dairy farm in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, and Helen and her husband David were determined not to wrap their daughter in cotton wool. Alongside her older brother Barry, John helped out on the farm, rode horses, and …