Adam Lopez, a 39-year-old forklift operator from Norfolk, England, won £1,000,012.40 ($1,343,016.65) in a scratch-off lottery.
“When I saw the £1M I didn’t know what to do with myself, so shoved the scratchcard in the glovebox without even thinking, I always thought I’d scream if I ever won big, but when it actually happened I was stunned into complete silence! Never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen to me, I feel so blessed.
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.” Lopez told The National Lottery of his win.
After his win, Lopez celebrated by partying for three months, buying luxury items like Range Rovers for himself and his mother, and taking a trip to Barbados. However, his extravagant lifestyle took a toll on his health, and he was hospitalized with a bilateral pulmonary embolism, a serious condition caused by a blood clot that had traveled to his lungs.
“I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t breathe, I rang the ambulance, I got wheeled into the ambulance from my house, and the biggest life-changing thing I had was laying in the back of that ambulance and hearing the sirens.”
Lopez spent eight days in the hospital, where he had a wake-up call to prioritize his health and reassess his lifestyle.
He admitted to losing the structure and routine that had previously guided his life, leading to a disconnect from reality. Lopez has since recognized the need to focus on his well-being and create a more stable and fulfilling future for himself.
