Mesothelioma sufferer collects $9,800 after winning bet that he would live past doctors’ predictions.
Jon Matthews, who lives about 50 miles northwest of London, England, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in April 2006 and given just nine months to live. The 58-year-old former car dealer reacted to the news by making a bet at 50-1 odds that he would beat the doctors’ predictions. The bookers, William Hill, had “never been asked to accept a bet of this nature before, but as Jon approached us directly and was adamant that it would give him an additional incentive to battle his illness, we offered him the bet he wanted.” Twenty-five months and one week after his mesothelioma was diagnosed, Mr. Matthews collected the British equivalent of $9,800. Matthews said he would donate half the winnings to the Macmillan cancer charity, and spend the other half on booze, cigarettes and possibly a bungee jump.
For the full story, go to the Daily Nation and the BBC.
![[Information package]](http://www.mesotheliomanews.com/wp-content/themes/biromeso/images/infopack.jpg)
