Lauren Tomlinson cradles the ‘miracle’ baby she thought she’d never have after winning the Postcode Lottery.
The 34-year-old gave birth to Elizabeth four months after scooping £836,000 – and less than a year after being given the all-clear for cancer she was warned could mean she’d never had a family.
Over the last six years, Miss Tomlinson endured a series tragedies.She lost her brother Dale to suicide before she was diagnosed with cancer.
In April last year, her mum, Andrea, was told she had kidney cancer, while her dad Darren had a stroke in July 2024.
But her life changed when she met her partner Brandon Banks and won big on the lottery last December.
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Lauren gave birth to baby Elizabeth by emergency Caesarean section nine weeks early, on April Fools’ Day this year – less than a year after she was given the all-clear from cancer.
Little Elizabeth came in at just 3lbs.
Lauren won her prize in Rotherham after ‘S65 3QP’ was announced as the winner of the £17.5mPostcode Millions prize on 14 December last year.
Each ticket in the winning postcode was worth £418,057. Lauren doubled her win playing with two tickets.
At the time, Lauren was three months pregnant. She needed an emergency C section. The doctors warned her the baby would be too small, she wouldn’t be able to breath on her own, and would need to be taken straight away.
“Then we just heard a little yelp,” said Lauren. “Then she set off proper crying.”
Lauren is now planning a family holiday, treats for her parents and continues to expand her baking business.
She said: ‘The money has meant safety, first of all. I just feel secure that all my future is going to be alright. I can literally fulfil every dream.
“I wanted my own shop, and I’ve got that now. I want to go on all these holidays; I’ve already booked Jamaica in January with the baby and Brandon.’