A carer whose fiance bought a lottery ticket to cheer himself up as he suffered with Covid says they quickly found out they had won £1million. But Helen Taylor, a council carer, says the celebrations were short-lived as she was soon told that she had breast cancer.
Helen was with a patient when she spotted that Mark Francis had tried to phone her several times. She took his next call.
Helen said: "I was just about to shower a lady, and told him I couldn't speak. But he was saying no, no, no, I need to tell you we have won the lottery."
Delivery driver Mark told WalesOnline : "I was at home watching daytime TV when in between the coughing and spluttering from my bout of Covid.
"I was idly checking my results on the National Lottery app. When it flashed up I was a winner I called the line definitely not expecting to end it as a millionaire. It’s still a blur to this day.
“It’s been an amazing 18 months for us, winning the lottery is truly life changing. We’ve been able to buy a home, follow Wales to all Six Nations games and upgrade our cars. As cars, and driving, are my ‘thing’ this is more meaningful than it sounds. Driving my Audi Q3 RS brings me so much joy, every time I get in that car, it feels like I’m winning all over again!”
The couple, who haven't given up their jobs since winning, bought a house and a caravan where all the family can spend time together.
They have been busy planning for their wedding in September.
But during a routine check up, Helen was diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily it was caught early and has just celebrated her first year cancer free.
"After the high of winning, it was a massive bump," she says. "It was a lot to take in but we all got through it together and now we can look forward and plan our wedding and celebration with all the family.
“After the win, my health scare definitely put everything into perspective but I was lucky once again, and now firmly on the mend we can really start to enjoy the win. We’ve been busy planning our wedding, and I feel blessed that I can choose things I want rather than what the budget dictates, having said that I’m not going wild, I’m still keeping a keen eye on the pennies."
Mark and Helen haven't given up work but the win has given them security (Image: Family pictures)
Mark said: “By far the best about winning is the security it has given us. We were both working long hours plus overtime and now, although we both continue to work we can do it for the job satisfaction. Plus we’ve been able to help out family in a way we could have only dreamt of before."
And the worst bit about winning? Mark finds it hard to think of a downside.
"The ups are so great but I would say the responsibility that comes with it," he says. "We need to make sure this money makes a difference to our lives and with luck, our kids and grandkids too so we do feel some pressure to make wise decisions with it.
Mark said: "Our hopes for the future are that we both stay in good health so we can continue to enjoy the amazing new lottery lifestyle we have been lucky enough to win, and that we can continue to share this good fortune with our family.
"Beyond that, we have our wedding to look forward to later in the year, plenty more of those little trips to events and places we’ve always wanted to visit and further ahead, hopefully a trip to Australia for the 2025 British and Irish Lions Tour. "
