A LEUKAEMIA survivor who took up wheelchair rugby has been handed his first England call-up.

Matthew Wooloff was diagnosed with the cancer in 2009 and could not play any sports because it left him with weak ankles.

But instead of throwing in the towel, the now 21-year-old pursued a different avenue by taking up wheelchair rugby and has been called on to represent his country.

The Bicester resident, who studies biology at Bath Spa university, will line up for the England Rugby 7s against Italy in Fidenza, near Milan, on May 30.

The former student at The Cooper School said he is also saving up for a £3,500 wheelchair for the game because his current one, supplied by his club Swindon St George, “leaves me on the floor a lot”.

He added: “I’m saving for a bespoke chair which will be made using my bodily measurements and costs about £3,500.

“Swindon St George provide me with a chair but it doesn’t fit me properly as I’m quite tall – 6ft 3in – and this results in balance issues in the chair, slowing down my movements so I end up on the floor a lot.”

Mr Wooloff said he enjoyed playing sport before the leukaemia but the disease left him with acute avascular necrosis – a condition where bone tissue dies due to a lack of blood supply – in his ankles.

He was given the all clear in June 2010 and, because of his ankles, began trying different wheelchair sports including basketball, before deciding his passion lied with wheelchair rugby.

He said: “I played rugby until I got diagnosed with cancer and that ruined my legs, so I got in to wheelchair rugby.

“I had a trial for England Rugby 7s and I got put forward by the team coach. It feels fantastic and it is going to be an incredible experience to be part of the England team set up.”

Proud mum Jackie Holder said his passion for wheelchair rugby had “turned his life around”.

The 57-year-old said: “He is in pain all the time but he just gets on with it and I’m so proud of the way he tackled leukaemia. He was very brave.”

Mr Wooloff said the experience of leukaemia has given him a positive outlook on life. He said: “The leukaemia had a massive effect on my life because I essentially missed my teenage years lying in a hospital bed, so that wasn’t great.

“It did positively affect me as a person because I think I’ve got an appreciation for life that most people just don’t get.”