Farmer (84) survives cancer and then wins €500,000 in lottery

AN 84-YEAR-OLD farmer who has just scooped €500,000 on the EuroMillions lottery says he doesn’t care about money after revealing he has overcome cancer.

Charlie Meehan had to wake his wife after he checked his lottery numbers on Tuesday night and found he was half a million euro richer.

Mr Meehan, from Carrick in Drumoghill, Co Donegal, said he often does the lottery when buying a newspaper but never thought he would win.

He admitted that he had a nightcap after checking the numbers with his family.

“I woke the wife from the bed as she was sleeping and I told her that we’d won some money. Of course, like a good woman she asked me exactly how much we’d won,” laughed Mr Meehan.

But despite winning the huge sum, Mr Meehan said he had already won the lottery after overcoming cancer.

“I’ve no real plans for the cash. It is a nice sum but I have my health now and that’s all that matters,” he said.

“I had my own health problems in the past when I had cancer in 2012.

“I spent most of that year in hospital in Galway but I have made a great recovery.

“The staff in Letterkenny and Galway hospitals were very good to me.

“To be honest, I don’t worry too much about the money at this stage in my life.

“All I’m concerned about is being able to live a happy and healthy life and money can’t buy you that.”

Mr Meehan said he has no immediate plans for the cash as he has a decent car and a house. “It’s a lovely sum of money. I’m kind of glad I didn’t win anything bigger because it might bring its own worries with it then,” he said.