A CANCER patient is marking 10 years of life-saving treatment at a local hospital by embarking on a 100-mile bike ride.

Matt O'Brien was diagnosed with epithelioid sarcoma in his right arm in 2012, and for the past 10 years he's been cared for by the Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Service at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen.

An epithelioid sarcoma is a rare, slow-growing soft tissue cancer, with most cases beginning in the soft tissue under the skin.

Elaine Richardson, Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: "It's a milestone in a patient's diagnosis as they reach the 10-year mark and it was just fab that Matt chose to mark it with such a challenge."

Members of the bone and soft tissue tumour service also joined Matt for the last 15 miles of his journey.

Matt, who lives near Chester, said: "Having the team at RJAH join me was amazing and gave me a real lift for the last few miles – it really made the day that little bit extra special and it’s something I’ll never forget.

"To celebrate being sarcoma clear for ten years, I wanted to embark on a real challenge. I’ve done 50- and 70-mile bike rides before, but never attempted 100."

Elaine added: "We met him at Flint Castle and cycled to the finish line, which was super fun to be able to support him complete those last miles.

"Matt has not only raised funds and awareness of this rare cancer, but also is an inspiration and for that we cannot thank him enough."