A Filipina mother is to be reunited with her daughter, who she has not seen in more than two years, after winning Dh200,000 ($54,000) in a Dubai lottery.
Wendy Arroz, 41, said she can now bring her daughter, 8, to the UAE to live with her, as the windfall will help her to pay school tuition fees and additional living expenses she couldn't afford on her Dh6,200 salary.
The single mum has not seen her daughter since 2019 due to travel restrictions caused by Covid-19.
Ms Arroz, who works as an office manager, struck it lucky with two entries in the 25th live weekly draw by Mahzooz. She won Dh200,000 from one entry and Dh1,000 from the other.
"This is going to change our lives. I can finally bring my daughter to Dubai and see her again," she told The National.
"I haven't seen her since 2019. She lives in the Philippines because I always thought school was too expensive here as compared to what I pay back home, but now we are looking into whether she can live here with me.
"I'm a single mother and I have no one to rely on. Right now, I'm discussing what steps I'll take next with my parents, but I know that this amount will change our lives for the better."
Ms Arroz travels home once a year, but several Covid-related restrictions have prevented her from returning.
She also plans to buy a house in the Philippines for her family and share some of the funds with her mother.
Ms Arroz was one of five winners to match five out of six numbers in the weekly live Mahzooz draw. She shared the Dh1 million second prize with four others who are all Indian nationals.
Her second entry in the same draw matched four out of six numbers, winning her an extra Dh1,000.
“I was driving with my friend during the draw and asked my brother to check the numbers for me. He mentioned I got four out of six. I was shocked and ecstatic to win the Dh1,000,” said Ms Arroz.
“As I was celebrating, my friend mentioned that on my other entry, I matched five numbers. I had to pull the car over to go online and check the results. I started crying and thinking to myself ‘is this really happening, is this really true'.”
The mega prize of Dh50 million is still up for grabs, with the next draw set to take place on May 22.
Participants must register online and buy a Dh35 bottle of water to enter.
The water bottles are donated to charity.
How a UAE lottery changed lives - in pictures
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
