It’s kind of sad how even great families can be torn apart by money. The almighty buck seems to bring out the worst in people. If there is money to be had – inheritance or lottery win – the worst kind of relative and friend comes crawling out of the woodwork demanding their share. Normally those people had no interest in the relative when they were alive but they roll up demanding money anyway.
A friend of mine recently dealt with something similar. She is incredibly kind-hearted and was looking after a distant relative because no one else cared enough to do so. When said relative became ill, her son (who had basically ignored his mother for years) started threatening my friend over the will. It’s awful.
I can understand why so many lottery winners decide to remain anonymous. Someone once described it as lottery horror stories you hear where people come out of the woodwork with their hands out when they smell money on someone they know? I am not likely to win anything in my life but if I did, I would definitely remain anonymous. I would pay off our house, put a little aside for retirement, give money to my trusted best friends, and then save as many animals as I could. Either by starting my own animal shelter, or being a patron for Raise ‘n Rescue in Cape Town. I would definitely resign from my job and work with unhoused animals for the rest of my life.
