British Cancer Survivor Hits £500K Lottery Win One Year After Surgery 


A computer maintenance engineer from Norfolk, England, has claimed the £500,010 (USD $648,597) lottery jackpot that he won exactly one year after undergoing successful surgery for cancer. 

John Lingard, 66, hit all five numbers in the September 25 National Lottery Thunderball game. The date was exactly a year to the day since he underwent the life-saving surgery. 

He initially thought the £500,000 prize was just £500 after checking the app, and went to bed. Only after a barrage of notifications the next day did he eventually find out the big news. 

Lingard says he plans to continue working part-time, even after a whirlwind 12 months. He does, however, plan to take some time off to visit his favorite holiday spot, the Mediterranean island of Tenerife. 

The Surgery 

Lingard says he has been playing the National Lottery for 30 years, even through his cancer diagnosis and treatment. 

After falling ill on a flight returning from Tenerife in early 2023, he was diagnosed with cancer that had spread mostly in his kidneys. He had surgery in September 2023 to remove one of his kidneys, and was given the all-clear months later. 

After his diagnosis, Lingard said he would often visit Gorleston Beach, near his hometown of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. There he would process his emotions and calm himself after the life-changing news. One year later, after recovering from cancer and hearing life-altering news of a much more welcome kind, Lingard chose to celebrate the win on the very same local beach. 

“When I was first diagnosed, I would head to Gorleston beach to find some peace and process the implications of my treatment,” Lingard said, speaking to the UK’s Daily Mirror.

“I couldn’t have dreamt that less than 12 months later, I would be here celebrating a National Lottery win.”

The Win

Lingard’s winning numbers were 13, 15, 18, 30, 33, and the Thunderball 7. He said he received a notification on the National Lottery app that he had won on the night of his win, but assumed it would be a small one, and decided to check it in the morning.

Usually, small wins are paid into the player’s online National Lottery account for withdrawal or further play. But jackpot winners are paid separately. When Lingard didn’t see any money added to his account, he thought he may have misread the notification. It was only after the Lottery sent several more pings that he realized he had hit a £500,010 winner. 

“I think I actually floated there, I certainly felt like I was on Cloud Nine,” he said.

“I started playing when The National Lottery first began 30 years ago, and while all along I’ve believed that one day I would win big, now it’s happened, it’s taken a bit of getting used to.”

Lingard added he doesn’t plan to fully retire, but will be looking to buy a holiday home in Tenerife in the near future. Although £500,010 is by no means a small win, especially after recovering from cancer, it’s pocket change compared to a huge jackpot won in similar circumstances in the U.S. earlier this year.

Oregon man Cheng “Charlie” Saephan hit a $1.36 billion (£1.048 billion) Powerball lottery jackpot while undergoing ongoing cancer treatment.

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