National Lottery winner hopes to begin 'lucky phase' after being diagnosed with cancer aged just 17

A National Lottery winner who was diagnosed with cancer aged 17 has said that he hopes to begin a “lucky phase” after winning over £130,000.

Jonathan Aldridge, 32, from Crawley, was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, a rare form of cancer, when he was just a teenager.

Aldrige, who underwent draining chemotherapy to treat his cancer, has now said following his win that “magic does happen”.

The 32-year-old scooped up £133,173.20 after he purchased some EuroMillions Lucky Dip tickets earlier this year.

“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 or maybe another fiver,” he said.

Aldrige did not notice the message to call The National Lottery and when he did not see his balance increase, believed the email could be a prank.

When he was a young boy, his parents played a prank on him and his four brothers when they told them that they had won the lottery on April Fool’s Day.

“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,” he explained.

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Fast forward over 15 years, and Aldrige could not believe his eyes when he spotted the “best message ever”, telling him that he had won over £130,000.

The first thing he did was tell his brother, who initially did not believe him. He then spoke with his parents, to whom he uttered the life-changing words: “I think I’ve won the Lottery.”

Aldrige said he would use his winnings for a deposit for a house, take more trips abroad, and also donate to Young Lives Versus Cancer charity.

He added: “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.

“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.”

Aldrige discovered a growth on his neck when he was a teenager, and quickly began “receiving particularly aggressive chemotherapy” at hospital.

When he was then told he would have to undergo radiotherapy, he “wasn't confident [he] 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.”

The news comes after a particularly tough couple of years for the family. His father suffered from a triple heart bypass, two heart attacks and a two-month coma where he lost both of his legs.

The 32-year-old added: “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.”