John and Allison McDonald: Lotto Lucky Dip Winners with Extra Luck
WHO ARE JOHN AND ALLISON MCDONALD?
John and Allison McDonald are a married couple from Stockton-on-Tees who received one of the best Christmas gifts imaginable when they matched all six numbers on their Lotto Lucky Dip ticket and won the jackpot on December 18, 2019.
At the time of the win, John was working 70-hour weeks as a security officer, while Allison worked at an optician’s office. After learning that they were suddenly lottery winners, John and Alison both quit their jobs. The couple says that having the financial security to afford a new home is excellent, but they’re more excited about being able to spend more time with family.
Time with loved ones is vital to the McDonalds,as their family had been under a lot of stress the year before their win. Tragically, their son Ewan had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in May 2017. However, the news of their lottery win came just three days before they heard some even better news—Ewan’s latest medical scans showed he was all clear of cancer.
HOW MUCH MONEY DID JOHN AND ALLISON MCDONALD WIN?
Though no amount of money can compare to the fantastic news that their 15-year-old son had beaten cancer, John and Allison McDonald were thrilled to win £2 million. After spending over a gruelling year watching Ewan undergo six rounds of chemotherapy, the couple saw two of their dreams come true in the span of just a few days.
Despite their happiness, the win came as a huge shock. John explained to the media how he checked the winning numbers while having a hot beverage at work. He couldn’t believe what he saw and even called Camelot, the lotto organizer, before telling anyone else. His next call was to Allison, who missed the call because she was at the dentist’s office.
When Allison checked her phone and saw that she had a missed call, her mind went somewhere else entirely. Instead of expecting good news, Allison said she was worried that something terrible had happened to Ewan. She was shocked when she called John back and learned they were the jackpot winners! Allison said it took her a week to let their good fortune sink in, a week that she spent shaking and crying from happiness.
WHAT ARE JOHN AND ALLISON MCDONALD GOING TO DO WITH THEIR FORTUNE?
In addition to their teenage son Ewan, the McDonalds have two other kids and three grandchildren. The £2 million jackpot was a large enough amount that John and Allison both felt comfortable quitting their jobs to focus their time on making new memories with their family, which has always been their dream, the couple said.
The McDonalds' newfound free time signals a significant change for the family, who got used to spending large chunks of time away from each other. Ewan underwent his chemotherapy treatment at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, which meant that Ewan and Allison were forced to spend weeks away from the rest of the family.
While John and Allison intend to spend some of their jackpot on a new family home, they also plan to use some on family camping trips. In the meantime, the McDonalds are going to enjoy their happiness and the relief that has come with their incredibly good luck. The couple told the media that they couldn’t have imagined a better way to start 2020.
CONCLUSION
Though it’s easy to think that anyone who wins a big jackpot must have an abundance of luck, stories about lottery winners whose lives take unfortunate turns are all too common—just look at Denise Rossi or Donald Savastano. That’s part of what makes John and Allison McDonald’s story so lovely to hear. Not only has their life changed for the better due to their financial windfall, but their luck didn’t stop with the lottery. With a tidy sum in their bank account and the health of their son assured, the McDonalds have a lot to look forward to in the coming years.
