Kate Daven-Thomas, a 58-year-old woman who had been living in Italy for 30 years, had to return to the UK due to a heart condition. Little did she know, a scratchcard she bought before bed would bring an unexpected turn to her life.
According to a report from the UK’s Independent on October 1, Kate had been living in Italy, raising her children, but had to leave them behind due to health reasons and relocate to Minehead, Somerset in the UK. She now works at a local flower shop.
Kate had a habit of buying a “Cashword Extra” scratchcard almost every other day. She would usually leisurely scratch it before bedtime, using it as a little relaxation before ending her day.
Over the years, she always believed she would one day win a big sum of money from a scratchcard. She couldn’t explain where this feeling came from, but she always had this “sixth sense”.
One evening around 9:50 pm, Kate took out the scratchcard as usual. After scratching out 11 words, she realized she had won: £300,000 (approximately $400,000).
However, the nearby supermarket was about to close. Kate quickly dressed and rushed out. By the time she arrived, the shop was ready to close, and the National Lottery machine was shut down. She approached the shop owner, wanting to keep it low key, and whispered, “Please reopen the machine, I think I’ve won £300,000.”
After reopening the machine, the shop owner confirmed the scratchcard. It was true. £300,000, the top prize. Kate said that after leaving the supermarket, she “skipped all the way back home”, almost unable to believe her good fortune. She thought to herself: the doctors had advised her to live a calm life, but winning made her heart race, was it still considered calm?
After confirming her win, she hardly slept that night. The next day, she told her children the news over FaceTime and began looking for a house with them. She planned to use the money to help her children buy a house in Milan, Italy. Last week, she specially traveled to Milan to accompany her children in house hunting, searching for a place where they could live for a long time.
“Video calling with the children, telling them about the win, and then house-hunting together, that moment was truly magical,” Kate said.
She described herself as the “most unlucky lucky person.” “I was unlucky to have a heart condition, but lucky to have survived it; then unlucky to have to leave my children for care, and now lucky again to win enough to fulfill my dreams for many years.”
The “sixth sense” that had made her believe she would win big one day did not disappoint this time. The Italians have a saying, “la dolce vita”, meaning “the sweet life”. Kate said, “Honestly, life has never been this sweet.”