Cancer patient collects lottery jackpot and responds to chemo.

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Meeshika Sharma
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Diana Bishop from St John's who has Stage 4 breast cancer  has just hit the jackpot not once, but twice. First she won the Million dollar lottery . Her "Miracle No. 2" is that she is finally, after several failed attempts, responding to treatment.

"We were all jumping and screaming," she said, describing the moment she discovered the $1.5-million win. "It was like, 'Oh my God, oh my God, we actually won this and our financial troubles are gone.'"

publive-imageShe says the $1.5M will provide financial stability so she can quit job and focus on health.She shared, "It's like this big ball of weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The stress is gone, the anxiety of being sick, I know I can't beat Stage 4 because you're a ticking time bomb, but it's given me hope that maybe it can go dormant for awhile ... and I can live my life."

She won a Super Set for Life ticket, and can now afford her clinical trials in Toronto, as well as a new bed and chair for her comfort.

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Bishop said, "This money wasn't about going out and buying a new house or taking trips.This was about survival. I can survive now, and my kids can survive."

Bishop, whose cancer has spread to her pelvic bone and lung, had been bracing for her last resort: a clinical trial in Toronto.

For a single mother with two sons in their 20s, one of whom lives with her, the disease had taken a toll.She walks with a limp, has trouble raising her right arm, has a weak immune system and struggles to get out of bed in the morning. Her job managing a Needs Convenience store in Mount Pearl had become increasingly difficult.

Strangers offered help, randomly showing up at the Needs store to give her money. She ended up with several thousand dollars she placed in a fund to help pay the expense of experimental treatments in Toronto.

Weeks later, Bishop did something unusual. She purchased a $20 Super Set for Life scratch ticket from the store she manages. The choice was life changing for her and her two sons.

Under Atlantic Lottery rules, any retailer, relative of the retailer or employee winning $1,000 may be subject to an investigation and wait 30 days to claim their prizes. The money was expected to officially be released to her today.

 

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