The parachute centre instructor battled the disease for four years.

There's no sign of the cancer for the moment but John knows it can return.

Now,to raise awareness of the condition, John is touring seven countries across the world and jumping 10,000ft from the skies above them all.



JOHN Hillam is no stranger to the highs and lows of life.

He's experienced 700 sky dives and often jumps from 10,000ft.

But the exhilaration of parachuting is set against the lows of battling cancer.

John, 56, was struck down at the age of 26 with ulcerative colitis, which developed into bowel cancer four years ago.

After struggling for 30 years with the illness and fighting the disease, John is eager to live every day to the full and raise the profile of his problems in the process.

The Peterlee Parachute Centre instructor is hoping to add another 100 jumps to his total with a six-month international skydiving tour.

The trip got underway last week with visits to Ireland, thanks to Logan Air which funded the flight. The whole adventure should end in mid September.

In his bid to raise money for the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease, John will be falling onto Ireland, Spain, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, the USA and Canada in the coming weeks.

John, who lives in Hendon, Sunderland, said: "I want to raise money for the charity but also give them plenty of exposure. It is actually amazing the amount of people I have spoke to who have had similar problems to me or know someone that does.

"The cancer can come back at any time so I want to make the most of things while I can and do what I want to do."

John says he could not have planned the trip without the support of his wife, Rosemary, and daughter, Sarah, 25.

"The time has flown by and I'm surprised how much I have done and how supportive everyone has been, including my family. All my time has been put into it but the planning is part of the adventure," said John, who works as a fleet services manager for car dealership Pendragon at Doxford Park.

"I have made contact with loads of strangers and some of them have been really kind. They've offered to pick me up from airports and help in any way they can."

One big problem facing John on his trip is he needs the toilet far more than most people so hopes there will be plenty available during his voyages.

"Because of my condition my large intestine is just about completely gone now so I have to go very regularly.So toilets might be one of the biggest hurdles I have to get over even though I have medication to help."

John began parachuting 15 years ago after doing a charity jump for Macmillan Nurses.

"It's ironic that it's went full circle with me getting cancer. You never know when you will need a charity.

"Many people start jumping after doing a charity jump so I guess that is how I got the idea to do the tour. But I never thought it would actually happen."

John hopes to fund the trip himself but has already raised more than £3,000 in sponsorships from local companies and he hopes that number will increase while his adventure continues.

Anyone who wants to make a donation can visit John's webpage at www.justgiving.com/johnhillam and people can email him at john.hillam07@sky.com.