$1m Lotto Jackpot Follows Cancer Diagnosis

A Hamilton couple is still processing the enormity of striking the $1million Lotto jackpot on 3 January, just two weeks after one of them was diagnosed with cancer.

“I had no symptoms of cancer at all, the doctors were extremely shocked when the results came through, and it was a hell of a shock to me,” the recently retired husband says.

The couple, who’ve been married for nearly 40 years, received the worrying news a week before Christmas and had been ‘down in the dumps’ about the prospect of more tests and treatment ahead.

“To be honest the win hasn’t really sunk in yet because the cancer diagnosis is over-riding everything.”

The couple, who buy their weekly ticket online, have taken the same numbers for more than 35 years.

They’ve never had a big win and recently joked about giving up their weekly punt.

“We watched the draw and thought, “Oooh, we’ve probably got four numbers.

We didn’t think anything more of it until we could check it and then there were tears and laughter. My hands were shaking and neither of us could sleep.”

The couple realised they were both wide awake at around midnight and ‘got up to have something to eat.’

“Since I got the cancer diagnosis, I’ve adopted a ‘no sugar, no dairy, no meat diet’ so I couldn’t even have a beer,” the husband jokes.

Despite the uncertainty, the couple say they have some very important reasons to stay positive.

“Our family is welcoming new grandchildren later this year. We just love being grandparents, everything is just so exciting for them.”

The couple are planning to battle the cancer diagnosis together and absorb their Lotto windfall taking things ‘one day at a time.’

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