Yahoo Sports Couple win £2m lottery and learn son is cancer-free in ‘dream’ three day period
A couple had a dream three days after winning the lottery and then finding out their teenage son was free of cancer.
John and Allison McDonald, from Stockton on Tees, couldn’t believe their luck when they won a £2 million lottery jackpot on December 18.
Things got even better when they were told three days later their 15-year-old son, Ewan, had finally been given the all-clear after being treated for cancer all year.
Mr McDonald said: “It is just like all of our lifelong dreams came true in the space of three days.
Mr McDonald added: “What a start to 2020. Everyone always dreams of winning the lottery at Christmas – and talks about how amazing this would be – but Allison and I never believed it would happen to us – and it has.
“And then to receive news that Ewan’s latest scans are all clear is just truly amazing. We are so thankful.
“2020 is certainly looking like being one amazing year for the three of us!”
Ewan was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May last year and underwent chemotherapy treatment.
Both Mr McDonald, 62, a security officer who frequently worked 70-hour weeks, and Mrs McDonald, 49, who worked in an opticians, have now handed in their notices at work.
Their son underwent six bouts of chemotherapy at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, and it meant Ewan and his mother spent weeks away from the family home.
They were expecting the results of his latest scan to come in the days before Christmas and while they could see his health was improving, they were still afraid there could be bad news before they got the all clear.
Mrs McDonald said: “This is just the most amazing feeling ever.”
Mr McDonald described how he checked his ticket while having a hot drink at work.
“As I continued to check, I realised I had matched all six. I was just in total shock,” he said.
“My legs were trembling as I called Camelot to check that what I was seeing was in fact right.”
He told a news conference in Yarm how he called his wife, who was at the dentist.
Mrs McDonald said that she saw a missed call on her phone.
READ MORE YAHOO UK NEWS HERE:
Euromillions winner thanks dead mother for 'sprinkling magic dust' after clinching £1million prize
Single father wins £1m scratchcard jackpot and still turns up for Christmas Day shift at pub
She said: “I just thought, ‘Oh no, why is he calling me – something must be wrong, something terrible has happened, has something gone wrong with Ewan’.
“Never did I believe when I called him back he would be telling me we had won the Lotto jackpot.”
The couple, who also have two other children and three grandchildren, bought their winning ticket from Asda in Portrack Lane, Stockton on Tees.
The winning numbers were: 13, 15, 36, 44, 50 and 56.
As well as looking for a new home, the family intend to take more camping trips this year.
