I died in hospital twice as I battled cancer, lost my home and couldn't pay the bills - then I won £1million on the Lottery

A woman won a £1milion jackpot just a few years after dying twice in hospital during a battle with cancer .

As she fought the disease, Desiree Home also lost her job and house before her husband, Wayne Home, picked out a set of winning EuroMillions numbers.

The mother-of-three from Kent then vowed to share her story in inspire others who encounter the misfortune she had to endure before the mega payout in August 2014.

Age 50, Desiree found out she had Stage 3 bowel cancer in 2008, when she was already in debt and suffering from unrelated health issues.

Six years on, light appeared at the end of the tunnel when Wayne phoned his wife with the good news.

Desiree initially thought the couple had won £500,000 that summer, before Wayne called again to correct himself and clarify that their Lottery prize was actually double that.

She has now self-published her rollercoaster of a life story, fulfilling a promise she made to herself the day she celebrated the win.

Desiree from Tunbridge Wells in Kent said: 'I was 50 when I was diagnosed with Stage 3 bowel cancer which required invasive surgery and chemotherapy, and the seven years that followed were a catalogue of horror for the whole family.

'During my treatment I "died" twice from respiratory failure in the hospital and spent 11 days in ICU, halfway through chemo and unrelated to the cancer, I developed Cauda Equina Syndrome which required further surgery and to top it all, Wayne and I lost our jobs.

'With absolutely no money and mounting debts we had no choice but to sell our forever home and move away into a small mobile home, splitting up our family. I think you can safely say, we'd hit rock bottom. And then it all changed.

'I can remember that call from Wayne as clear as if it were yesterday, that moment when I realised that we could rebuild some of what we had lost and that the Desiree rollercoaster of life was rolling again!'

Despite Desiree still being on a cocktail of medication and recovering from her latest surgery, the mother-of-three was determined to join Wayne in celebrating their National Lottery win.

It was as she shared her story with the assembled press on that summer's day that she decided one day she would write it all down.

Desiree said: 'The phrase "you couldn't write it" springs to mind! I was standing on the bow of a boat spraying Champagne and holding a cheque with our names and a million pounds written on it, when just weeks before I had been juggling the sums and desperately trying to stay stress-free to aid my recovery.

'As I was recounting a potted history of my life, each recounted chapter prefixed with "And then", with its myriad of twist and turns, I kept hearing "you should write a book" and that's where the idea came from.

'Admittedly it's taken me a while to get around to finishing the book, and I have had some help along the way, but it feels right to finally publish my story, ten years after our luck finally changed.'

The self-published book, And Then, is just one of the many bucket list items Desiree and Wayne have been able to achieve since their EuroMillions win.

Others include snorkelling in the Maldives to participating in the London to Brighton bike ride, and activities closer to home, such as seeing their three children financially secure and Wayne treating himself to a motorboat, to sit alongside their own private mooring.

Desiree reflected: 'As we started to rebuild our life, and tick long held dreams and 'if we won the Lottery' plans off our list, we were able to create the stability we had missed for so long.

'And without the financial worries I finally had time, and the headspace, to focus on the right self-care to help improve my health, and to reflect on the rollercoaster of my life.

'From my life in the WRENS, meeting Wayne, an ex-Submariner, the trials and tribulations we had as we bought up our three children, and then the horrendous crashes, to be followed by the incredible highs.

'I didn't for one minute think I could write it all down in a book, then again neither did I think I would ever be a cancer survivor or hold a National Lottery cheque for £1m!'

While Desiree continues to have challenges with her health, just as she did through the most dreadful times, she continues to have hope.

'While I wrote the book for my own bucket list moment and for family and friends, if it helps just one other person to keep hope I shall be overjoyed and to share that even in the depth of despair there really can be hope,' she said.

'We really don't know what is around the corner on the rollercoaster of life, so I shall continue to grab every moment of life and live it as well and as thoroughly as I can.'

The book 'And then: One woman's real-life story, from cancer diagnosis to losing the family home and then* a £1 million Lottery win' is on Amazon as a Kindle edition.