A DOUBLE jackpot! Canadian woman with Stage 4 breast cancer wins $1.5 million lottery AND learns that she is finally responding to chemo

  • Diane Bishop from Newfoundland was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2016 and had not responded to three rounds of chemotherapy and radiation
  • The cancer has spread to her lung and pelvic bone
  • She could not quit her job because disability benefits would not cover her expenses
  • After she shared her story with a news outlet, strangers donated money to her that helped her travel to a clinical trial in Toronto
  • On a whim, she also purchased a lottery ticket and hit the jackpot 
  • Two weeks after winning $1.5 million CAD, her doctor in Toronto told her that the chemo was working and her tumors have shrunk 

A Canadian woman battling an aggressive form of cancer hit the lottery twice in a matter of weeks — both literally and figuratively. 

Less than a month ago, Diane Bishop from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland won a $1.5 million CAD jackpot on a Super Set For Life scratch-off ticket. A couple of weeks later, her doctor called with more good news: The clinical trial she was participating in was working for her, and her Stage 4 breast cancer was finally responding to treatment. 

'This money wasn't about going out and buying a new house or taking trips,' she told CBC News. 'This was about survival. I can survive now, and my kids can survive.'

Diane Bishop from Newfoundland won a $1.5 million CAD lottery this month

Diane Bishop from Newfoundland won a $1.5 million CAD lottery this month

The mother-of-two is battled Stage 4 breast cancer, which has spread to other parts of her body

The mother-of-two is battled Stage 4 breast cancer, which has spread to other parts of her body

Diane was diagnosed with cancer in April 2016. Since then, it has spread from her breast to her lung and pelvic bone.

She'd undergone three rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, but wasn't responding to treatment. The chemo and cancer have taken their toll, and she is now battling a host of health problems.

She has a limp when she walks, experiences difficulty raising her right arm, suffers join pain and nausea, has headaches and fatigue, and faces a lot of trouble even getting out of bed in the morning. Her immune system is weak, too.

But Diane couldn't quit her job at a Needs Convenience store in Mount Pearl, which she managed. A single mother with two songs in their 20s (one of whom still lives with her), she could not afford to stop collecting a paycheck.

She was diagnosed in April 2016 and has not responded to three rounds of chemotherapy and radiation 

She was diagnosed in April 2016 and has not responded to three rounds of chemotherapy and radiation 

Last month, she began a clinical trial in Toronto, helped along by donations from kind strangers

Last month, she began a clinical trial in Toronto, helped along by donations from kind strangers

If she had quit, she would have qualified for just $1,127 a month from both unemployment insurance and disability benefits. This sum would have barely covered her mortgage, and she still has other expenses like groceries to worry about.

Plus, she said, the routine of getting out of bed and going to work was keeping her going.

Then, on October 18, CBC News published an article about her and her struggle — and that's when the tide started to change. 

Strangers would show up at the store in which she worked to offer her money, having read about her plight in the paper. She managed to scrounge up enough to cover her expenses for getting to and from Toronto for her clinical trial treatments.

She also had a little extra to give into a whim to buy a lottery ticket.

Diane could not afford to quit her job, because benefits wouldn't cover her expenses
Diane could not afford to quit her job, because benefits wouldn't cover her expenses

Diane could not afford to quit her job, because benefits wouldn't cover her expenses

The lottery win means she can retire and focus on her health without leaving her sons with major debt

The lottery win means she can retire and focus on her health without leaving her sons with major debt

'It was weird. Something said, "Buy a ticket" that day. I can't explain it,' she said.

After scratching, Diane realized she had won $1.5 million CAD ($1,181,251 USD, £885,960). 

'We were all jumping and screaming It was like, "Oh my God, oh my God, we actually won this and our financial troubles are gone,"' she said. ''It's like this big ball of weight has been lifted off my shoulders. 

'The stress is gone, the anxiety of being sick, I know I can't beat Stage 4 because you're a ticking time bomb, but it's given me hope that maybe it can go dormant for awhile ... and I can live my life.'

Since then, she has retired from her job and picked some very practical things for her first two purchases: a therapeutic, adjustable mattress and an electric chair to sit in after her chemo.

A couple of weeks after winning the lottery, the doctor from the Toronto clinical trial called to say that some of her tumors had shrunk

A couple of weeks after winning the lottery, the doctor from the Toronto clinical trial called to say that some of her tumors had shrunk

Diane is also donating to other cancer causes and patients

Diane is also donating to other cancer causes and patients

She said she is thrilled that she can pay off all the debt she already has, and that she knows she and her sons will continue to be have some financial security through her illness.

But the lottery win was only the first bout of good news she received: About two weeks after hitting the jackpot, her doctor called with an update. He said that the chemo was working, and the tumors in her lung have shrunk. Fluid has left her lungs as well, and the bone in her leg has partially heeled. 

Despite her own hardships, Diane still wants to help others with her bit of good fortune. She plans to donate to a non-profit that supports cancer patients, and pay forward the donations she received from strangers, passing them on to another cancer patient. 

'I got everything I wished for. I can go happy, but I'm just not going yet,' she said.

 

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