A national lottery winner who scooped a £1million jackpot faced a health scare after taking life the “wrong way” with his winnings.
Adam Lopez’s life was transformed after he bought the lucky ticket from a corner shop in July.
The former forklift driver said he was “stunned into complete silence” when he discovered he had become a millionaire.
Speaking after his big win, he said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen to me, I feel so blessed.
The forklift driver admitted the health scare was a ‘kick up the backside’
|
ALLWYN
“I’ve given myself a budget to have fun, a pot to treat people I love and the rest I’m saving for the future.”
“My mind was racing with what this would mean for me and my family and the things I could now pay for,” the 39-year-old from Norwich added.
“I had to get home to tell my mum and call The National Lottery to confirm it was real.”
Splashing cash on pricey presents for his friends and family, such as a Range Rover Evoque for his mum, Mr Lopez said he felt “blessed”.
Booking a holiday to Barbados, the prize-winner was also quick to spend his winnings on lavish treats for himself including buying his “dream car” – a Range Rover Sport.
However, following three months of “partying” he was rushed to hospital after a blood clot in his leg ended up in his lungs, leaving him unable to walk or breathe.
The jackpot winner ended up spending just over a week in Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital after being taken to receive emergency medical care on September 10.
Now, as he rests in recovery, the he has admitted that he “went the wrong way about” the prize money.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Mr Lopez rushed how to tell his mum after finding out about his winnings
|
GETTY
“It’s allowed me to live a bit of a life I’ve never lived, but I think I went the wrong way about it… It was enjoyable until my health became an issue,” Mr Lopez told the BBC.
He described the health scare as a “kick up the backside”, saying the size of the cheque did not matter “when you’re in the back of the ambulance”.
After he won the eye-watering prize, Mr Lopez quit his job, which he said led to a loss of structure in his life.
“It was a complete disconnect from the life I was living,” he told the BBC.
The lottery winner said it had been “such a hard time” for him and his family, as he faces several months of recovery time.