EuroMillions: Sussex cancer survivor believes £133k win heralds start of lucky life

Jonathan Aldridge, 32, from Crawley, was 17 and enjoying working part-time and studying for his A levels, when he discovered a growth on his neck which, after a series of tests, was confirmed as Hodgkin lymphoma.

He said: “One minute I was living a typical teen lifestyle and then I was in the Royal Marsden Hospital, receiving particularly aggressive chemotherapy and lying awake at night thinking ‘this might be it’.

“Throughout I made a promise to myself to stay calm, I wanted to protect my mum from the heartache, so I put on a good show.

“When I was told that the cancer had progressed and that the treatment would need to continue with radiotherapy added to the mix, I wasn’t confident I would make it.

“But six harrowing months of treatment later, I was one of the very lucky ones to be told I was in remission, and they couldn’t detect any signs of the cancer.

“When I was well enough I went back to school to finish my A levels and ultimately qualified as an accountant but while my career is on track, it has been a long journey rebuilding my physical and mental health.

“More than 10 years on, this win feels like the end of that epic journey and the beginning of a brighter future.

“My family’s support has been central to my recovery so now, thanks to my sudden EuroMillions luck, I can repay that support.

“We are all very close, when I lost my hair due to the chemotherapy my four brothers all shaved their heads in solidarity, so now I’ll show my solidarity to them with a slap-up meal out to celebrate.

“I really hope that this amazing moment of luck heralds the start of a lucky phase not just for me, but for the whole family.

“We’ve had a tough time, just a couple of years ago my dad was taken into hospital for a triple heart by-pass, which resulted in two heart attacks, a two-month long coma and him losing both his legs due to complications.

“Again, the family pulled together and we have made it through, with a combination of determination and black humour.”

And it’s the family’s black humour that meant Jonathan, the youngest of five boys, was convinced for some time that his EuroMillions win was an elaborate hoax.

He said: “When I was six, as an April Fools prank, my parents said we’d won the National Lottery, all four of my brothers were cheering and I burst into tears as I didn’t want to move house, and the banter has continued since then!

“So, when I received a message about the win but couldn’t see a change in my funds on the National Lottery app I was suspicious to say the least.”

Jonathan’s winning adventure started when he bought a couple of Lucky Dip tickets for EuroMillions on June 18, 2024 on the National Lottery app using some previous winnings.

He said: “I had £5 in my account so decided to try my luck in the upcoming EuroMillions draw.

“The following morning I saw an email from The National Lottery with news about my ticket, and assumed it was £2.70, maybe even another fiver but, when I looked on the app, my balance hadn’t updated.

“I completely missed the message to call The National Lottery and instead logged in and out, I even restarted my phone, but after reopening the app again the balance was still the same.

“I decided at that point that my brothers were tricking me, although I’ll be honest it looked slicker than how they would usually prank me!

“It was only when I checked the actual ticket on the app that I spotted the best small print ever, ‘you’ve won £133K’.”

Despite it being 7.30am, he wasted no time in calling his middle brother who initially didn’t believe him until Jonathan sent a screenshot at which point there was some colourful language and plenty of laughter.

By contrast, Jonathan was like a statue as he wandered into his parent’s room to once again utter those magic words, ‘I think I’ve won the Lottery’, which was followed by more colourful language and laughter, as was the case with his subsequent calls to his three other older brothers.

After calling The National Lottery and having his win confirmed, Jonathan could finally accept that this win was really happening.

Looking to the future, aside from treating his nearest and dearest, a few extra trips to the London Stadium to support his team, and eventually buying his own home,

He said: “I will never take for granted how lucky I was to beat cancer. I watched as other young sufferers, including my best friend, were not as lucky.

“So, in a way, I feel that living the very best life I can and making the most of this opportunity is in their honour too.

“I’m going to invest it wisely to build a bigger deposit for a home, and hopefully travel some more, all things that when I was lying in my hospital bed, I didn’t think would ever be possible.

“And I will be making a donation to Young Lives Versus Cancer (formerly Clic Seargant) who were there for me when I needed their support and understanding the most

“I shared the news of my win because hopefully it will show other people who may be going through a tough time that there is hope, and that magic does happen.”

Jonathan bought his winning EuroMillions Lucky Dip ticket for the draw on June 18, 2024 using the National Lottery app.

The winning numbers were 3, 11, 33, 34, 36 and Lucky Stars 1 and 12, and his ticket matched five numbers and number one Lucky Star.

By playing any National Lottery game, players generate £30m each week for National Lottery-funded projects.

This money helps fund projects across the nation, with over 690,000 grants – supporting projects both big and small – having been made across the UK to date.