What would you do if you won the lottery? Dean Weymes, from England, struck it rich when his lotto ticket ending up winning the top prize. He has planned to use the money to realize his dream as a script writer. Other than that, he hopes to set aside a sum for his brother with severe autism.
Then, the next day, Weymes handed his resignation notice to his managers at Amazon along with the reason he wrote down on the HR form: “Won lottery/retirement?”
HR thought it was a joke, but he was serious. Beyond most people’s wildest dreams, he was the fourth person to win the British National Lottery’s Set For Life! It was his first time playing the game.
He won the top prize, which guarantees 10,000 pounds (US$12,150) every month for the next 30 years. That means he can live a worry-free life until he turns 54.
With money suddenly falling into his lap, Weymes, a movie buff who studied Video and Film at university in Dundalk, Ireland, left the transport department at Amazon to pursue his dream—to be a scriptwriter.
“It was always my dream to become a script writer,” Weymes said. “I love films and the theater and now I can do something with this. I can turn my passion into a job, something I never thought I could do.”
He has a couple of things he would like to accomplish, such as taking his sister, Sarah, brother-in-law, and nephew on a trip to Disneyland Paris, going skydiving, hitching a ride on a hot air balloon, and treating his nephew, who loves Lego, if “he behaves himself.”
“I cannot actually believe that I am really going to be able to do these things—and do them right now! Everything still seems quite unreal—the news really is still sinking in,” he added.
Also, another thing on his bucket list is his 23-year-old brother, Robert, who has severe autism.
“Robert has severe autism—it is about as serious as it gets. He is mainly non-verbal, but can say a few names and certain words, but he is like a baby,” he said.
Describing Robert, he said: “He is 6'3 tall and quite stocky, and he can get aggressive, and he can hurt himself and others. He grabs a hold of you and it is very difficult. He takes it out on himself. It’s tough.”
Weymes hopes to use his windfall to provide Robert with the best possible care, as his parents are getting too old to care for him. “Just to have the best trained professionals to take care of him would make the world of difference,” he said.
In case you’re curious, his winning numbers were 18, 21, 23, 34, and 39, and the Life Ball was 3.
It seems that fortune is smiling on Weymes. He’s living his dreams and living in the lap of luxury at the moment. We are glad he didn’t forget about his brother with autism when he struck it rich!
