Cancer survivor bags £500k Lotto win - 12 months after life-saving surgery

John Lingard has spoken of an astonishing 12 months successful which helium was fixed the all-clear aft being diagnosed with crab earlier helium scooped a £500,000 National Lottery win

A cancer subsister has scooped a £500,000 Lotto win - precisely 12 months to the time aft undergoing life-saving surgery.

John Lingard, 66, had a kidney removed to halt the dispersed of the illness aft helium fell sick connected a formation returning from Tenerife past year. Now - aft being fixed a cleanable measure of wellness - helium is readying a travel backmost to the Canary Islands aft bagging the Thunderball win.

The machine attraction engineer, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, says the windfall means helium tin instrumentality his archetypal week of unpaid permission since helium started enactment aged 16. He said: “I sojourn Tenerife 3 oregon 4 times a twelvemonth but erstwhile I near successful September, I told friends I astir apt couldn’t marque it backmost earlier aboriginal 2025.

"Now acknowledgment to my Thunderball luck, I tin spend to instrumentality a week disconnected – unpaid – and caput backmost for a small wintertime sun, and to observe with my friends implicit there. I whitethorn besides bash a small house-hunting portion I’m connected the island. It would beryllium bully to person a bolt-hole for the future, and it volition besides beryllium a mode to stock my bully luck with those closest to maine who volition beryllium capable to usage it for their holidays too.”

Recognising his astonishing crook of luck successful the past 12 months, John chose to observe his £500,000 triumph with friends connected the formation astatine Gorleston. He said: “When I was archetypal diagnosed I would caput to Gorleston formation to find immoderate bid and process the implications of my treatment. It’s brainsick to deliberation that astatine the commencement of the twelvemonth I would travel to the formation to find interior bid successful each the turmoil of the attraction and my worries astir the future. I couldn’t person dreamt that little than 12 months aboriginal I would beryllium present celebrating a National Lottery win.”

John played a Lucky Dip via The National Lottery app. His winning Thunderball numbers connected Wednesday 25 September were; 13, 15, 18, 30, 33 and the Thunderball was 7. He told however helium logged connected aboriginal the greeting aft the gully to spot an automatic connection congratulating him connected a win. However, seeing nary summation successful his disposable funds, John enactment it retired of his mind.

He said: “I assumed determination indispensable beryllium a lag oregon thing connected the system, truthful went to enactment and didn’t springiness it different thought. Even erstwhile I logged connected aboriginal that time to bargain my EuroMillions summons I didn’t look much profoundly into the connection that popped up congratulating maine connected a win.

"It was lone 24 hours aboriginal that I yet work my messages and the penny started to drop, though not fully, due to the fact that astatine archetypal glimpse I thought it was £500.10. I was conscionable connected my mode retired the doorway heading to the supermarket, but erstwhile I worked retired that it was really £500,000 positive £10 connected different line, I decided driving wasn’t a bully thought truthful walked to the section shop.

"I deliberation I really floated there, I surely felt similar I was connected Cloud Nine
“I started playing erstwhile The National Lottery archetypal began 30 years agone and, portion each on I’ve believed that 1 time I would triumph big, present it’s happened, it’s taken a spot of getting utilized to.”

But John, who enjoys an occasional circular of golf, has nary plans to discontinue immoderate clip soon. He said: “I’ve ever been successful enactment and portion I bask spending clip with friends, and I’m partial to a circular of golf, I’ll support working, albeit part-time, for a portion yet. And having been done specified a challenging clip with my crab diagnosis and treatment, I privation to beryllium definite I marque the astir of each moment, whether that’s work, remainder oregon play.”