IT engineer celebrates recovery, scoops lottery prize exactly 12 months later

By Kate Northrop

A United Kingdom cancer survivor celebrated the 12-month anniversary of being declared cancer-free with a timely £500,000 (US$648,513) Thunderball lottery win.

A year to the day after beating cancer, a U.K. man won a £500,000 Thunderball lottery prize and commemorated the win in a meaningful way.

John Lingard, 66, of Great Yarmouth, had much to look forward to on the day he was declared cancer-free, not knowing that one a £500,000 win in the National Lottery was just one year ahead.

Last year, the computer maintenance engineer gained a new outlook on life after a successful operation for kidney cancer. To prevent the spread of the disease, he had the affected kidney removed and is now leading a clean, healthy life.

"Having been through such a challenging time with my cancer diagnosis and treatment, I want to be sure I make the most of every moment, whether that's work, rest, or play," Lingard told the Lottery.

Lingard has been a fan of the lottery since its inception 30 years ago. While he's always been chasing the dream of coming into a big win, he never expected it to become a reality.

"I've always believed that one day I would win big, but now it's happened, it's taken a bit of getting used to," he remarked.

The prize couldn't have come at a more sentimental time. He celebrated the lottery win with a photoshoot at the place he visited to reflect on his diagnosis.

"It's crazy to think that at the start of the year, I would come to the beach to find inner peace in all the turmoil of the treatment and my worries about the future," he said. "I couldn't have dreamt that less than 12 months later I would be here celebrating a National Lottery win."

On the day of his win, he noticed an automated message from the Lottery alerting him to a prize. He didn't see the funds appear in his bank account, so he dismissed it.

"I assumed there must be a lag or something on the system, so went to work and didn't give it another thought," Lingard recalled. "Even when I logged on later that day to buy my EuroMillions ticket, I didn't look more deeply into the message that popped up congratulating me on a win."

24 hours later, he saw the message again. Now he noticed a change in his account balance and thought the deposited amount was £500.01 at first.

"I was just on my way out the door, heading to the supermarket, but when I worked out that it was actually £500,000 plus £10 on another line, I decided driving wasn't a good idea, so [I] walked to the local shop," the winner said. "I think I actually floated there — I certainly felt like I was on cloud nine!"

Lingard's Thunderball Quick Pick ticket for the Sept. 25, 2024 drawing matched all five white ball numbers 13, 15, 18, 30, and 33, plus the Thunderball number 7 to win the game's £500,000 top prize.

With his winnings, Lingard said he has plans to visit friends in Tenerife. It will be his first unpaid week-long trip he has ever taken since he began working at the age of 16.

"I may also do a little house-hunting while I'm on the island," he added. "It would be nice to have a bolt-hole for the future, and it will also be a way to share my good fortune with those closest to me who will be able to use it for their holidays too."

Thunderball is a draw game exclusive to the U.K. that offers fixed prizes, meaning winners will not split prizes should more than one player win the top prize in one drawing.

Thunderball drawings take place every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 10:35 p.m. GMT. Tickets cost £1 each.

All winning numbers, prizes, and odds are available on Lottery Post's United Kingdom Lottery Results page right after each drawing.

(Click to display full-size in gallery)John Lingard, 66, plans to take his first week of unpaid leave since he started work at the age of 16.