Lottery millionaires' 'dreams came true' after learning son is cancer free

Jan 3, 2020, 9:52 am (7 comments)

UK National Lottery

"It is just like all of our lifelong dreams came true."

That was the joyful expression of a UK couple who won a £2 million (US$2.6 million) lottery jackpot three days before finding out that their teenage son was clear of cancer.

John and Allison McDonald have described how their their Lucky Dip ticket matched all six numbers to scoop the Lotto jackpot on Wednesday, December 18.

Three days later, Mr. and Mrs. McDonald, from Stockton on Tees, were given the news that their 15-year-old son, Ewan, had finally been given the all-clear after being treated for cancer all year.

"What a start to 2020. Everyone always dreams of winning the lottery at Christmas — and talks about how amazing this would be — but Allison and I never believed it would happen to us — and it has.

"And then to receive news that Ewan's latest scans are all clear is just truly amazing. We are so thankful.

"2020 is certainly looking like being one amazing year for the three of us!"

Both Mr. McDonald, 62, a security officer who frequently worked 70-hour weeks, and Mrs. McDonald, 49, who worked in an opticians, have now handed in their notices at work.

Mrs. McDonald said: "This is just the most amazing feeling ever."

Mr. McDonald described how he checked his ticket while having a hot drink at work.

"As I continued to check, I realized I had matched all six. I was just in total shock," he said.

"My legs were trembling as I called Camelot to check that what I was seeing was in fact right."

Mrs. McDonald said that she saw a missed call on her phone.

She said:  "I just thought, 'Oh no, why is he calling me — something must be wrong, something terrible has happened, has something gone wrong with Ewan'.

"Never did I believe when I called him back he would be telling me we had won the Lotto jackpot."

She said: "It is fantastic that this win has not only given us the financial security to buy a lovely new family home — but also time. We can both now afford to stop work and spend time with our family making memories — something we could only have ever dreamed of doing."

The couple, who also have two other children and three grandchildren, bought their winning ticket from Asda in Portrack Lane, Stockton on Tees.

The winning numbers were: 13, 15, 36, 44, 50, and 56.

Their son underwent six bouts of chemotherapy at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, and it meant Ewan and his mother spent weeks away from the family home.

They were expecting the results of his latest scan to come in the days before Christmas and while they could see his health was improving, they were still afraid there could be bad news before they got the all clear.

She told reporters at a news conference: "Ewan has coped very well, he has been very inspirational.

"It's probably been more difficult for us.

His proud father said: "All our happiness has come together in one go.

"It's a relief — life is going to become easier for us and we are looking forward to it."

As well as looking for a new home, the family intend to take more camping trips this year.

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Thanks to dannyct for the tip.

Jersey Evening Post

Comments

Bleudog101

Congratulations and with all the negativity going around this is so refreshing.   Without your health wealth doesn't mean a thing.   Let them have their cake and eat it too, so happy for their Son.   Cancer in kids sucks.

music*'s avatarmusic*

Quote: Originally posted by Bleudog101 on Jan 3, 2020

Congratulations and with all the negativity going around this is so refreshing.   Without your health wealth doesn't mean a thing.   Let them have their cake and eat it too, so happy for their Son.   Cancer in kids sucks.

I Agree!  I totally agree with you Bleudog101.  "Happy Wife, Happy Life" 

 

   These relatively small jackpots mean a lot to winners. Especially this family.Party

Unluckyone's avatarUnluckyone

Not sure what I would choose. My child being cancer free with no guarantee of the cancer not coming back or a big lottery win. I tend to lean towards my child being cancer free and in the case of this couple, their reward being the big  lottery win which is a double bonus!

dannyct

I agree, it is a relatively small jackpot. I hope they get good, independent, professional advice on how to manage their newfound financial security. If they want to money to last, they really need to manage it well.

sully16's avatarsully16

Awesome story, I hope he stays cancer free and has a long happy healthy life.Hyper

dannyct

It is great start to the New Year, health and wealth. I think they were unwise to go public and to quit their jobs so quickly. The should have retained their anonymity, whatever they do with the money will be covered by the media. While I can understand that they might want to give up their jobs, they should have waited six months before making any big decisions. Maybe, there should be a cooling off period, for large wins. If people had to wait six months to collect their prize money, they would make more considered decisions.

sweetie7398's avatarsweetie7398

Celebrations are in order🎉

Cancer free son 🙏🏼and a nice jackpot 🤑.

Continued blessings to themParty

End of comments
Subscribe to this news story