This man had plans after winning $1 million. His cancer diagnosis wasn't one of them.
After claiming a $1 million prize in the New York Lottery earlier this month, 51-year-old Donald Savastano was looking ahead.
Savastano, a self-employed carpenter from Queens, said he was hoping to get a new truck, go on vacation and put a lot of the money aside for retirement, according to ABC7.
He also could finally afford going to a doctor. That’s when Savastano learned he had stage four cancer, WBNG reported.
“He didn't have insurance, he hadn't been feeling good for a while, I guess, and when he got the money he went into the doctor,” said Danielle Scott, who worked at the store where Savastano got the lottery ticket, according to ABC7.
"He had a friend come and talk to me, and they told me that he was very sick and that he had brain and lung cancer and that he was in the hospital and they didn't think he was gonna make it.”
Brad Maione, a spokesman for the Lottery, told Newsday that it was Jan. 8 when Savastano got the check, which ended up being $661,8000 after taxes and withholdings. He won the ticket on Dec. 9 after stopping at a gas station.
He died on Jan. 26 from his cancer — just weeks after receiving his big lump sum payment, according to his obituary.
“He had become a carpenter after working with and learning from his dad as a kid,” his obituary read. “Don did work for commercial companies but after moving to Sidney and a short time with the union he became a successful self employed carpenter. He was known for his high-quality work and perfectionism.
“He always tried to reach out and help those he could by teaching them ‘the right way to do things.’”
The Lottery said he was the 97th person to win $1 million or more this year, according to Newsday. His family declined requests for comment from local outlets.
His passing was sad news for Scott, who lamented that Savastano didn’t get to enjoy what seemed to be a stroke of luck.
“I just hope that they can use the money and can give him the best," she told WBNG. “He was a good person, he deserved it, I just wish he had more time with it.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 8:52 AM with the headline "This man had plans after winning $1 million. His cancer diagnosis wasn't one of them.."