A cancer patient at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital has celebrated his ten-year survivorship anniversary by taking on a 100-mile bike ride.
Matt O’Brien, who was diagnosed with an epithelioid sarcoma in his right arm back in 2012, is also using the challenge to fundraise for Sarcoma UK – a national charity who fund vital research and offers support to those affected by sarcoma cancer.
For the past 10 years, Matt has been cared for by the Bone and Soft Tissue Tumour Service at the Oswestry-based hospital, with several of the team joining Matt on the final 15 miles of his challenge.
Matt, who lives outside of Chester, said: “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.
“I decided to cycle from Holyhead to Chester, which is 107 miles, and it was an incredible day. It took me just over seven hours to cycle the full route which saw me climb 4,209ft.
“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.”
An epithelioid sarcoma is a rare, slow-growing soft tissue cancer, with most cases beginning in the soft tissue under the skin.
Miss Gillian Cribb, Consultant Orthopedic and Oncolgical Surgeon; Trevor Mwaramba, Registrar in Trauma and Orthopaedics; Geraint Davies, Allied Health Professional (AHP) Consultant and Lead Cancer Practitioner; Elaine Richardson, Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist; and Ellen Harrison, Patient Pathway Coordinator; all joined Matt to help him over the finish line.
Elaine 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.
“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”.
You can donate to Matt’s fundraising via his JustGiving link here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/matt-o-brien100.
Pictured: Matt O’Brien (far left), with Elaine Richardson, Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist; Miss Gillian Cribb, Consultant Orthopedic and Oncolgical Surgeon; Ellen Harrison, Patient Pathway Coordinator; Geraint Davies, Allied Health Professional (AHP) Consultant and Lead Cancer Practitioner and Trevor Mwaramba, Registrar in Trauma and Orthopaedics.
