There's so much more to life than money. At the same time, the daily grind definitely depends some on this coveted staple. For one man, whose life did depend on money, it could have been everything. But it wasn't.

Think about this:

Wayne Schenk won $1 million in the New York lottery on January 12 after purchasing a $5 scratch-off ticket. His jackpot win came just five weeks after his diagnosis of inoperable lung cancer was delivered. His one wish: to receive a lump sum so he could receive specialized treatment for his advanced disease.

Lottery officials claim they were sympathetic but just couldn't give him a lump sum. The best they could do was issue him $50,000 annual installments for 20 years.

Schenk, 51, only survived for a little more than one year. He died on April 23 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Syracuse. At the time of his death, he had received just $34,000.

So money isn't everything. But could it have been?

When Rachael Williams -- a young woman of 24 with no family history of cancer -- was diagnosed with breast cancer, her doctor told her she had better odds of winning the lottery than she did getting cancer. "I just wish I had bought a ticket," said Williams.

In fact, because she was no where near being in the risk-factor category for cancer, when she found the lump and contacted her universal health care physician, they put her on a 14-week wait list. Her parents were more concerned and insisted she see a private physician. A week later Williams had a lumpectomy and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went on to have lymph nodes removed, radiation therapy and suffered the usual debilitating and demoralizing side effects of hair loss and weakness from the chemotherapy sessions. She had to deal with early menopause, self esteem, and deciding what to do about the prospects of becoming a mother in the future.

At 24, she felt very alone and isolated from friends her own age. When she talked about cancer, they talked about one of their grandparents with cancer. Breast Cancer Care Lavender Trust connected Williams to support groups and young adults living with cancer. This made all the difference for her morale and cancer survivorship. To read more about Williams, go to the BBC News feature article I had breast cancer aged 24. 

Photo credit: Jane Elliott BBC News