A Manawatu man battling life-threatening cancer had just received the news he had been waiting months to receive - his cancer was in remission.
So to celebrate, he shouted himself an Instant Kiwi scratch-and-win ticket, and beat the odds again when he won $100,000.
The man, who wished to remain
anonymous, spent $15 on an Instant Kiwi Premium Gift Pack, a scratch-and-win ticket that had a one-in-136,000 chance of the $100,000 win.
"It had been my first check-up after my treatment had finished and I got the phone call in the morning to tell me that I was in remission," he said.
"To celebrate, I went to the store and treated myself to an Instant Kiwi ticket.
"It wasn't until later in the afternoon that I got around to scratching the ticket and realised that I had won a prize.
"At first I thought I had won $5000, and then I had another look and realised I had won $100,000. I'm still in shock. It's an excellent feeling."
The winner said he was a regular Instant Kiwi player and had won a $500 prize on a similar ticket a few weeks ago.
"The past six months haven't been easy as I've been so sick and having treatment. This has really lifted my spirits and has come at such a good time for me."
The man said he planned to spend the money on a new motorbike and was considering a small celebration with close friends and family.
Lotteries Commission spokeswoman Karen Jones said the win was processed through the agency's office yesterday.
"This is a particularly heart-warming story ... There were a few damp eyes in the office."
Ms Jones said the win brought back memories of another Manawatu resident who had been suffering from breast cancer when she benefited from a windfall in 2006.
Kelly Williams, then 35, had been fundraising so she could afford the drug Herceptin, when she won $500,000 on a Lotto ticket.
