Health Diaries > The Lung Cancer Blog
February 6, 2007
Man Diagnosed with Lung Cancer Wins Lottery
Wayne Schenk was diagnosed with lung cancer in December and given one year to live has won a million dollars in the New York state lottery. The only problem is that the winnings are to be paid out over 20 years and he doesn't have time to wait.
He thought the lucky scratch off ticket would buy him good care and more time. But, New York State Lottery rules prevent Wayne's winnings from doing just that. "He said, ‘I've got one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel and now New York state is going to screw with me and I'm not going to get all my money,'" [his friend] Domonick recalled.
The New York State Lotto says:
“We are, and have been, ready to work with a bank or financial institution and expedite the necessary legal paperwork to allow Mr. Schenk to receive an appropriate portion of his remaining 19 annual payments. Every month, the lottery makes some of its scheduled payments to companies and financial institutions that have stepped up and helped lottery winners in their time of need.”
Schenk is receiving treatment at a VA hospital but would like to get treatment at a cancer center and says the money would help him do that.
It's tragic and a sad state of affairs that the only way many people can afford cancer treatment is to win the lottery. Let's hope he is able to access the money so that he can get the care he needs.
