Cancer-Free, Lucky Ted Wins $9 Million

What could have been the worst day of a man’s life turned out to be one of his luckiest.

Ted Yackera learned Sept. 13 that he didn’t have cancer. Hours later, he won $9 million in Pennsylvania’s Wild Card Lotto.

“I went through a lot that week,” Yackera said of extensive tests before his doctor declared him cancer-free.

Yackera, 34, picked up a check Friday for $305,000, the first installment of the jackpot. “I’m a very lucky man and I thank God for everything that’s happened,” he said.

His immediate plans include a trip to Disney World and early retirement from his job as a school district business manager.