A cancer survivor has said 'magic does happen' after scooping a huge Euromillions jackpot.
Jonathan Aldridge was just a teenager when he was first diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at 17.
The now 32-year-old said he hoped he was at the start of "a lucky phase" after he won a lottery prize of more than £130,000.
Jonathan, from Crawley, scooped £133,173.20 after he bought some EuroMillions Lucky Dip tickets earlier this year.
Nobody won the #EuroMillions jackpot 😲🌟 but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty more prizes up for grabs! 💙😄✨
— EuroMillions (@UK_EuroMillions) July 17, 2024
Take a look at the prize breakdown using our link and check your tickets for Tuesday https://t.co/dxHU6cVBFp #lottery #results #euromillions⭐️… pic.twitter.com/YyLx9eGUJQ
He said his family's support had been "central" to his cancer recovery over the years, and he "can now repay that support" with his winnings.
Mr Aldridge said he had been "living a typical teenage lifestyle" before he found a growth on his neck.
He said he was "receiving particularly aggressive chemotherapy" at the hospital and was "lying awake at night thinking ‘this might be it’.
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“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," he said.
Mr Aldridge said when he was told he would have to undergo radiotherapy, he "wasn't confident [he] would make it".
It's "a long journey rebuilding my physical and mental health"
"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."
Mr Aldridge, who went on to study and qualify as an accountant, said it had been "a long journey rebuilding my physical and mental health".
He said he would use his winnings for a deposit for a house, as well as 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.”
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