MARK Edwards has stared death in the face – and emerged stronger for the ordeal.

Diagnosed with cancer and given little chance of survival, he had been dealt one of life’s cruellest hands.

As if that were not enough to overcome, Edwards also suffered a marriage break-up and the loss of his house.

These severe blows would surely have proven too much for many individuals to cope with – but not the inspirational man born in Fordingbridge.

Not content with simply surviving, he pursued his sporting dream and achieved it, despite the odds being heavily stacked against him.

Chatting to Edwards in his Ringwood home, it quickly becomes apparent that this is a person who embraces a challenge and usually succeeds.

Discussing the finer points of sidecar racing, the recently crowned European champion is just like any other motoring fanatic.

Endearingly enthusiastic about what he does, Edwards explains how he pilots the machine which resembles a bobsleigh on wheels – and carries a passenger on the side – around tracks at speeds of over 150 miles per hour.

It sounds a hazardous hobby for most of the population, but this is far from an average man. His illness left him without a sizeable chunk of his bowel – and just one lung.

Such setbacks would probably prevent most people from carrying out their normal day-to-day lives, but it appears to have had the opposite effect on Edwards.

He has come through the bad times to be successful, both on and off the track.

Edwards is flanked on his leather sofa by fiancée Nikki Walters, a long-time friend and now wife-to-be, with the couple set to tie the knot at Rhinefield House Hotel in Brockenhurst next month.

This happy scene is a stark contrast to late 2005, however, when Edwards first heard the grim news which turned his life upside down.

“Between Christmas and new year, I ended up in hospital and they diagnosed me with it then,” he explained.

“I had six months of chemotherapy and 30-odd sessions of radiotherapy. I had my first operation on my bowel, where they removed most of my bowel, and then I had to go and have a (colostomy) bag for 12 weeks, then they reversed that operation.

“I had my operation and the surgeon reconstructed me inside so I didn’t have to have a bag. One more millimetre and it would’ve been in my spine and then that would have been it really.

“That was all right for six months and then I got it in my lung, so then I had to have a lung out.”

“I was Mark’s friend then,” said Walters, reflecting on her partner’s traumatic time. “Most people would crumble but he was just so positive and he just got on with it.”

“The worst thing was when they told me about my lung,” admitted Edwards, whose positive outlook on life is nothing short of remarkable.

“I got over the worst bit and then they I had it somewhere else and I thought it was never going to end. I was just getting back on my feet, I’d bought a car and was looking forward to getting back to work and then it didn’t happen.”

But, supported by Walters, the Ringwood racer put his problems to one side and decided it was time to go back to what he knew best – motorsport.

And Edwards has never looked back. Off the track, the self-employed builder has had two years of clear scans. On it, he and passenger Jamie Winn have gone from strength to strength to claim the European Sidecar Formula One championship.

His path to a life in racing always appeared likely, as he started at the tender age of four, before progressing to such daredevil activities as motocross and BMX.

Sidecar racing on grasstracks proved extremely successful before Edwards opted for a fresh challenge, switching to the racetrack.

Having bought a bike seven years ago, he had been unable to compete in a full road racing sidecar championship due to a lack of money.

He scraped together the funds for a European title tilt this year, with each meeting costing about £2,000, and earned his moment of glory the hard way.

Next in his sights is the British Championship, which is televised and run alongside the British Superbikes.

But that dream is in doubt unless Edwards can secure adequate funding.

“Mark is now at the top of his game and it would be sad to have to pull out from doing the British Championship because we cannot afford it,” said Walters.

And she is right.

Given the adversity he has overcome in the past, this is a man who deserves more than just a brief moment in the limelight.

• Mark Edwards and Nikki Walters would like to thank Mark’s sponsors Solent Commer-cials, Russell Meer Insurance Brokers, Earlcoate Construction, HP Parts, Smart Riders and In Chains, as well as mechanic Mel and staff at Poole hospital.

For further information on sponsoring Edwards, contact Mark on 07917 324111 or email mdedwardsracing@yahoo.co.uk.