GAZETTE & HERALD: JUDY Ward did not hesitate when her younger brother Tim Barton was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer she gave him the gift of life by donating the life-saving bone marrow he needed for a transplant.

Mrs Ward, 56, of Gallop End, Corsham, said: "There was no question about doing it. It was an easy decision to make. Tim went through so, so much. What I did is nothing compared to that."

Mr Barton, 51, of Wadswick, near Box, learned he was suffering with a form of bone marrow cancer, myeloma, in November 2002, but last week he was told the good news that he is in remission, thanks to his sister.

His family stepped forward as soon as they realised he needed a transplant and were all tested for the bone marrow he needed. His sister Judy proved to have the perfect match.

Mrs Ward said: "Tim's other sister was tested as well but she wasn't the match and I was, which was very lucky.

"I was very surprised and shocked that it was me. You hear these stories of large families with six children and none of them are the match so we feel very lucky.

"I was very happy to do it," she said. "It made me feel good that I could help. It gives us so much pleasure to see him improving all the time. He has been amazing throughout everything."

"I feel fantastic. I've been very lucky," Mr Barton said. "It's been a long process but it's just come right."

Mr Barton underwent the bone marrow transplant last July at the Bristol Children's Hospital.

"What Tim went through is awful," Mrs Ward said. "It was quite shocking. He was very ill for several months and it was very frightening because he lost a lot of weight. The transplant was a very dangerous process and when he started to pick up it was fantastic.

"But he looks amazing now."

"It was a lot harder than I thought it would be," Mr Barton said. "I went from 15 and a half stone to eleven and a half stone. But I've put weight back on now."

His recovery, however, has prompted his nephew, Mrs Ward's son Ben, to plan a tribute to the charity that helped save his uncle's life.

He decided to undertake a 1,000-mile cycle ride to raise money for the International Myeloma Foundation, a charity dedicated to informing and supporting those people affected by myeloma, and improving standards of treatment and care through education and research.

Ben, 23, set off on August 11 from John O'Groats along with two university friends, Damien Nixon, from Somerset and Devonian, Jim Watson.

The trio have been cycling around 80 miles per day and they have camped overnight along the way, battling torrential rain, thunderstorms and the infamous swarms of Scottish midges.

Speaking about his challenge, Ben said: "I decided to raise money for the IMF after my uncle was diagnosed with myeloma.

"I learned at close hand about the devastating effects this illness has on people's lives and it seemed a very worthwhile charity to support.

"Also, I love cycling and I am really enjoying the challenge."

He has already raised over £2,000 in sponsorship and hopes to secure even more before the end of his journey this week. Public awareness of myeloma remains low, despite the fact that it is more common than most forms of leukaemia.

Mr Barton said: "I think it's fantastic what Ben's doing. I didn't even know about this cancer before I got it.

"When I was first diagnosed I went on the web and found a lot of information about it. So anything that brings attention to this form of cancer is great."

"Ben was really happy to do this because it's good that people know about the charity," his mum, Mrs Ward said.

Eric Low, executive director of IMF said: "We are thrilled that Ben is taking on this enormous challenge to raise money for the International Myeloma Foundation.

"We wish him every success with his journey. We hope that he arrives in Land's End on target, in good spirits and not too wet from the August rain."

If anyone wants to make a donation to Ben's fundraising efforts they can contact him via IMF (UK) on 0131 557 3332.