Cancer patient enjoys record lottery jackpot
Cancer patient enjoys record lottery jackpot
A 58-year-old cancer sufferer from Northern Ireland has become the UK's biggest ever lottery winner with a record STG20,100,472 ($56.7 million) jackpot. This amount appeared to be the largest win in the 10-year history of the UK National Lottery, reported Reuters.
Belfast housewife Iris Jeffrey, a mother-of-two, bought the winning ticket on July 14, but did not realise she was a lucky person until organisers Camelot made an appeal for the missing winner to come forward earlier this week.
"I had put my old tickets in the glass cupboard at home and forgotten about them," she was cited by Tvnz.co.nz. "It was not until I was at home with my husband Robert watching TV when I saw that there was an outstanding Lotto prize," admitted Jeffrey commenting her largest jackpot ever paid out by UK's national lottery to a single ticket holder.
According to Belfasttelegraph.co.uk, the winning numbers were 6, 27, 33, 38, 45 and 47. The company set a January 10 deadline for the golden ticket holder to grab the jackpot after the numbers drawn on Wednesday, July 14 didn’t find a winner.
"I wrote down the numbers and checked them against my ticket. I thought that I had all six but could really not believe it until I asked my daughter Wendy to check for me. When she confirmed the win I said 'Oh, I've won, that's nice', I really don't think I realised quite what had happened," she said.
Answering the most common question about the money won, Jeffrey said she is going to spend them on a brand new washing machine and to fulfil her dream concerning Las Vegas holiday spent together with her retired husband, Robert, 62.
Presenting the jackpot win at the news conference, Jeffrey invited her daughters Wendy, 32, and Karen, 28, who is expecting a baby. Jeffrey said that the rest of money she will spend on her family and relatives. "Make sure my family and friends are very secure for life."
Iris Jeffrey was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus earlier this year. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy, however, she is expected to undergo major surgery in the near future.
According to Healthtalk.ca, Britain's highest lottery win was the 42 million pounds shared by three ticket holders in 1996. Jeffrey's jackpot is the highest won by an individual.
