THE father of an inspirational young man who refused to allow his life-limiting health condition to stop him from travelling all over the world has paid tribute to his son.

John Bellerby, 33, of Sandringham Close in Haxby, was known for his love of travelling, which took him to far-flung locations including New Zealand, Canada, Iceland, Brazil, Vietnam and the South Sea Islands.

Despite suffering from diabetes and cystic fibrosis, for which he took 50 tablets a day, the former Joseph Rowntree School pupil was determined to live life to the full and travelled with a separate backpack for all of his medication.

John, a trained chartered surveyor, passed away last month after suffering a hypoglycaemic seizure.

Speaking about his son’s travels, Derek Bellerby said: “On these trips he never left a stone unturned – a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon, a hot-air balloon ride in South Africa, the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.

“But he still was not satisfied and decided to go on a long working holiday.

“His first choice was Canada, but there was so much aggro and hassle to get a work permit he walked out of the Canadian Embassy and an hour later had a year’s work permit for New Zealand, where he was for about eight months, first travelling and then working for a whale-watching company.

“He was somebody who lived his life to the full and refused to give in to cystic fibrosis. It was not going to stop him from doing what he wanted to do, which was to travel.”

When John was born, he was so unwell doctors feared the worst and was transferred from hospital to hospital.

At three and a half months old, John weighed less than his birth weight and his mother Anne, a nurse, decided to take him out of hospital to care for him at home, Mr Bellerby said.

John made gradual progress and went on to Headlands Primary School, when he developed a love for cricket and Everton FC.

His mother died while John was in his final year at Joseph Rowntree School. He later went on to qualify as a chartered surveyor, working in London and Manchester.

Mr Bellerby said: “John’s life was short, too short, and ended in a way we did not expect. It was dominated by that dreadful disease, cystic fibrosis, an illness that completely takes over your life.

“While he has been living with me for the last three months, apart from mixing various solutions for the various nebulilsers he had to take, John spent two to three – sometimes more – hours a day on the physio bench clearing his lungs and chest.

“But he did live life to the full, visiting places and seeing things most people wouldn’t dream of.

“He gave us some heart-stopping moments, more than compensated for by some wonderful, unforgettable memories. A great son, a magnificent friend to many.”