AFTER defying a cancer scare and facing months of post-operative agony, Matthew Ward has now passed his exams making him a fully-fledged chartered building surveyor at a York building consultancy.

Matthew, who is employed by York building consultants and chartered surveyors Lightly & Lightly, discovered he had malignant cysts on both his kidneys while working towards his professional qualification.

Both kidneys had to be removed in a life-changing transplant operation at St James's Hospital, Leeds, and months of painful dialysis followed - but he persisted in his studies.

Now he has passed the Chartered Building Surveyor (MRICS) exam with flying colours - and earned the admiration of his colleagues.

His hero status is already well established. It is exactly two years since he was praised by emergency services for his part in rescuing a 62-year-old woman from the freezing waters of the River Ouse at St Peter's School, into which she had accidentally slipped.

A few months later he returned from the British Transplant Games in Leeds with a bronze medal after competing in the 4X100m relay.

Matthew, 27, who lives in York, endured 18 months of kidney dialysis three times a week after work at York Hospital Renal Unit and also had to restrict his fluid intake and diet before the complex transplant operation. Amazingly, he returned to work with the Lightly & Lightly team only six weeks after the transplant and continued to work and study towards his MRICS qualification. Now he has received confirmation that he has qualified after completing the five years' experience and study satisfactorily despite his devastating setbacks. Tony Lightly, senior partner at Lightly & Lightly, said: "We are delighted for Matthew, who was always bright and cheerful in spite of the tremendous hardship he went through. He is a real hero. We all wish him every success and welcome his continued contribution to the development of the firm."

Matthew, who graduated from Sheffield Hallam University as a building surveyor in 1997, said: "It was very tough and with all the health issues I faced there is no way I could have managed without the support of my colleagues.

"It has been very hard work but I feel this qualification is a real achievement and I look forward to developing my professional career with the firm."

Updated: 09:02 Tuesday, March 18, 2003