Bet Your Life On It

Confronting the harsh reality of cancer may come in the form of a yellow wristband, pink ribbons, or, in the case of Jon Matthews, a chance to beat the odds in a very literal sense.

The 59 year old British widower placed a bet with a professional booking agency that is more used to dealing with sports than real life or death situations. When Jon told them that placing two bets at odds of 50 to 1 would help motivate him to fight mesothelioma, the agency agreed.

So far Jon has won 10,000 pounds and will be able to double that if he makes it to June 2010. He has promised to donate most of his winnings to charity.

While Jon’s story won’t serve as advice for everyone facing a crisis, it does illustrate the value of persistence and self-confidence. When you insure what matters you display the same type of confidence by making a bet that you can’t lose.