A British man who bet on his chances of beating his terminal cancer prognosis walked away with five-thousand pounds (9895 US dollars) in winnings on Sunday, according to a report by British broadcaster Sky News.

Jon Matthews, 58, was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer, called Mesothelioma, in April 2006, according to the report. At the time doctors predicted that he would not live until Christmas of that year. After beating those odds, Mathews decided to place a bet with bookmakers, that he would survive until June 1 2008 - a full 25 months after his diagnosis. "I had lasted six months more than they said I would. And I thought, well why not?" Matthews told Sky.

Matthews bet 100 pounds (198 US dollars) at odds of 50 to one, according to the report. On Sunday he collected five thousand pounds (9895 US dollars) in winnings. But he is not stopping there, Matthews has already placed a second bet that he will still be around this time next year.

With the support of his friends and community, Matthews hopes to not only be alive to collect his winning this time next year, but the year after that as well. "It is really difficult because I want to see him win the next bet but at the same time it is so hard," friend Andy Nicholson told Sky. But Matthews is optimistic about his chances. "I've got this far I can get further," he said.