A mum who “changed UK cannabis laws” has paid tribute to the life of a Cullyhanna doctor who became her “dear friend”.
Charlotte Caldwell – from Castlederg, County Tyrone – became one of the most prominent campaigners for medicinal cannabis in the UK through her fight to secure treatment for her son Billy, who suffers from a severe form of epilepsy.
Charlotte’s public campaign attracted national attention and helped prompt a review of UK policy and, thanks to that campaign, in 2018 the government changed the law to allow specialist doctors to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products, a landmark reform often associated with Billy’s story.
In 2006, a former Cullyhanna-based doctor came into Charlotte and Billy’s lives, when she said he had been “sent home to die”.
Dr John Burton “never left” their sides from that point on, she said.
The news of his death on June 18, 2026 “broke” Charlotte.
In a heart-wrenching tribute to the man who made such a massive impact on both her and her son’s lives, she said: “Today, I got a phone call I never thought I would receive. A phone call that broke me. Properly broke me.
“Today, I learned that my dear friend, Dr John Burton, has passed away.
“I honestly don’t know where to begin because how do you find the words to say goodbye to someone who has been such a huge part of your life for almost 20 years?”
Explaining the monumental impact John had in their lives, Charlotte added: “John came into our lives in 2006 when my little boy Billy had been sent home to die.
“At that point, I was a frightened mum watching her child slip away and desperately trying to find someone, anyone, who would help. John did. And from that day on, he never left our side.
“For almost 20 years, he stood beside us through every battle, every setback, every victory and every heartbreak.
“When Billy was fighting for his life, John fought alongside us. When we faced obstacles that felt impossible, John was there. When Billy’s medicine was cruelly confiscated at Heathrow Airport, John stood with us. When we fought to get it back, John stood with us. When that fight changed the law and gave hope to patients all across the UK, John celebrated with us.
“And when things were at their darkest, John was still there.”
She said John “never wanted recognition. He never wanted praise. He never had an agenda”, he just cared, “Deeply. Genuinely. Selflessly.”
No matter what life threw at them, Charlotte knew all she ever had to do was pick up the phone and John “would be there”.
She credits John with not only saving Billy’s life but having helped to save her own too.
“There were times when I felt completely broken by everything we were facing, and somehow John always knew exactly what to say,” she continued. “He gave me strength when I had none left. He gave me hope when I couldn’t see any.
“He believed in Billy from the very beginning and never stopped believing in him. Not once.
“Today my heart is aching because I cannot imagine a world where John isn’t in it. I cannot imagine never hearing his voice again. Never calling him for advice. Never hearing him tell me that somehow, some way, we would get through whatever was in front of us.
“The world has lost an extraordinary man. But I have lost a friend I loved dearly. A mentor. A protector. A constant source of kindness, wisdom and strength. John, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
A death notice described John as the beloved husband of Noeleen and loving father of Eimear (Nicky), Louise (Philip) and Paul, grandfather of Aoife and Jack, son of the late Jack and Peggy and dear brother of the late Paul and Mary.
Requiem Mass will be held on Tuesday, June 23, at 11am in St Patrick’s Church, Cullyhanna, with interment afterwards in the adjoining cemetery.
