A PENSIONER who beat cancer three times has celebrated in style by winning £60K in the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Bill Puffett, 80, said the jackpot win was “the icing on the cake” after he overcame three separate cancer scares in the last decade.
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The great-grandad scooped the whopping prize after playing with two tickets, while his neighbour also won £30,000.
And the lucky winners received their windfall as an early festive gift, with their wins announced on Christmas Eve.
Bill told the Swindon Advertiser: “After everything I’ve been through with my health, this is the icing on the cake.
“I’ve had three lots of cancer and I thought I was very lucky after they said I was cancer-free for the third time but to now win £60,000 – I nearly fainted.
“I was shaking, and it wasn’t due to the cold, the feeling was indescribable.
“To have that much money in your hand, it just doesn’t feel real.”
Asked how he plans to celebrate the lottery win, Bill said he will treat his family – while also giving his home a new renovation.
“We need new windows and a few other things done on the house,” he said.
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His wife Linda added: “We’ve got five children, so they’ll have something, and they’ll be happy – we’ll all be happy.”
But first on the list is a celebration meal with the family at a local pub, which Bill says is “second to none”.
“I’ve got all the family together for a Christmas meal,” he added.
“I have a bottle of champagne in the house that I might pop open.”
‘LUCKY ENOUGH’
The 80-year-old retired builder’s win comes after he has overcome three different types of cancer – skin, prostate and bowel cancer – over the last decade.
He said: “I firstly had skin cancer – melanoma – I had to go into hospital and get a big chunk of skin removed from my shoulder.
“A couple years later I was passing blood and my wife took me into A&E and after a number of tests it turned out I had prostate cancer.
“Lucky enough, my doctor caught it early enough and I received intense radiotherapy every day of the week until the cancer had gone.
“In March 2020, two years after getting the all-clear from prostate cancer, the doctors discovered that I had bowel cancer.
“I then had an operation, which despite being successful, left me with unbearable pain for weeks – I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy.
“Thankfully, I’ve had the all clear now – touch wood – but I can’t say it’s not going to come back because it’s always a possibility.”
Bill’s jackpot joy also meant that his wife Linda could retire from her job as a senior care worker at a local care home.
Bill said: “The night after the Postcode Lottery surprised us Linda quit her job. So, that was another big bonus.
“She’s been working 12-hour days, four days a week, and the other night, before we won, I was thinking why can’t something happen that would mean Linda could retire.”
Postcode Lottery ambassador Matt Johnson said Bill “definitely wasn’t expecting it” as he presented the whopping prize cheque.
“His reaction was lovely, and he definitely wasn’t expecting it,” he added.
“Congratulations to both our winners in Bishopstone. I hope they have a fantastic time treating themselves, and their loved ones, with the cash.”
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
