A 77-year-old man from Stirling with a terminal illness is looking forward to the best quality of life in the time he has left after his wife scooped a National Lottery windfall of £1,000,000.
Ian Anderson and his wife, Marlyn, 70, say they currently have no real home comforts as they are forced to live their days and nights in their living room.
But now, thanks to their £1,000,000 EuroMillions win, they are looking forward to Ian living out the rest of his life in comfort.
Marlyn said: “This win couldn’t have come at a better time. It will ensure Ian can have the very best quality of life in the time he has left.”
The couple, who have been married for 32 years, say a spacious bungalow local to them is top of the list of priorities, together with a new automatic car.
Marlyn continues: “As a result of Ian’s condition he is unable to get upstairs. His health is deteriorating, and he struggles to breathe so we currently have our living room set up like a bedsit. We have no other option.
“Buying a bungalow – and I think I have seen one already – will allow Ian to have his own bedroom and for us to have a sitting room too, all on one level.
“This will be so special as it is something we haven’t been able to do for such a long time. He will be able to live the rest of his life in comfort.”
Marlyn, who previously worked as a carer supporting people with learning disabilities and dementia, is now a full-time carer for Ian who requires oxygen virtually around the clock to help with his condition of pleural plaques and pulmonary fibrosis.
Ian believes the condition was brought on as a result of him working in the construction industry for most of his life and being exposed to asbestos.
Marlyn added that she and Ian had previously lived life to the full prior to Ian’s diagnosis, travelling to Australia and other foreign holidays.
But this can no longer happen as a result of Ian requiring around-the-clock oxygen.
The couple say the win gives them the comfort that Ian will know Marlyn will be okay after he passes, together with the rest of their family – their two children, five grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Marlyn, who always plays The National Lottery online, said it was when she discovered she had an odd £4.90 left in her account that she decided to buy a EuroMillions Lucky Dip ticket.
She explained: “I just thought there is no point £4.90 just sitting in my account, I will buy a Lucky Dip ticket for the next draw.
“It was the day after the draw that I logged on to my emails just to see if there was any news about my ticket and there was! An email saying there was good news about my ticket. I initially thought we had won £1,000 and I was absolutely delighted.
“I then started to count the zeros – and couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing – so I counted them again.
“I just kept thinking it couldn’t be true and it must be a scam! I was desperately watching the clock tick to 8am when I could call The National Lottery number to confirm if what I was seeing really was true.
“I couldn’t believe it when the person on the other end of the phone told me it was. I actually don’t think the news has fully sunk in yet. Neither Ian nor I can believe it.
It still all seems very surreal. There is no other word to describe what we are going through right now.”
The couple has already been out to buy a car – a Citroen DS 7 Rivoli – and say they are looking forward to their next purchase of a bungalow, their absolute dream home.
Marlyn bought her EuroMillions ticket for the draw on 12 March 2024 online, using the National Lottery app.
She won the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker £1,000,000 prize when she matched the winning code TZRT06068.
