Dying man wins bet to stay alive

Monday 01 June 2009

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A man diagnosed with terminal cancer stands to cash in and collect another £5,000 in winnings today — after betting he would stay alive.

Jon Matthews, 59, refused to accept his doctor’s prognosis that he would be dead within months and decided to bet against it.



Mr Matthews, from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, was diagnosed with mesothelioma — a cancer linked to asbestos — in April 2006.



Keen to defy doctors’ predictions that he would not see in 2007, he placed a £100 stake with odds of 50/1 with bookmakers William Hill that he would remain alive until 1 June, 2008. This won him £5,000.



He also made a further bet of the same amount and odds that he would survive until 1 June this year, which is set to net him another £5,000 today.

This article is from The Belfast Telegraph

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