WHEN Aily Chalmers and her husband Nathan moved into their dream home seven years ago, selling it was never on their minds.
They certainly never thought the next owners could pay just £2 for the four-bedroom property, but come Sunday, that could well be the case as the pair raffle off their £600k family home – as the couple reveal the heartbreaking reason behind their brave gamble.
Aily admits that trying to work and take care of two children while Nathan is ill is a challenge[/caption]
Aily and Nathan Chalmers are selling £2 lottery tickets to win their £600,000 home[/caption]
Nathan, a freelance book editor, is battling life-threatening Addison’s disease for which there is no known cure, and the couple are planning to move closer to family for support.
Aily and Nathan were told by estate agents their four-bed detached home near Aylesbury Vale, Bucks, could take up to 18 months to sell due to fears over Rachel Reeves’ upcoming budget, and plans to tax house sales over £500,000.
So instead, website designer Aily, 32 and Nathan, 35, who have three young children, decided to raffle off their home for £2 a ticket, hoping to sell 450,000, with the winner set to receive the house free from stamp duty and fees after the draw is made on October 13.
While most young families would sit tight, the couple are desperate to move closer to family for vital support because of Nathan’s condition, keen to make the move as soon as possible.
Addison’s disease is a rare condition that causes the small adrenal glands above your kidneys to not work properly.
Most commonly affecting adults between the ages of 30 and 50, symptoms include extreme tiredness, loss of appetite, weight loss, joint pain and muscle weakness.
The main treatment to manage the condition is steroids, which help the body replace the missing hormones the body needs to function.
Speaking for the first time about his health battle, Nathan says: “For the past 10 years, I have been in and out of hospital with debilitating pain in my stomach and swelling behind my eyes and oesophagus.
“Addison’s disease was diagnosed after I was rushed into hospital with excruciating stomach pain and woke up minus my appendix.
“It later turned out I was actually in adrenal crisis, a life-threatening complication of adrenal insufficiency.
“Just being able to function each day takes hours of pain management, antihistamines and steroids.
“Last year I suffered 40 days of fluid and weight loss, and on my fifth trip to hospital in five days, I passed out from the pain.
“I was medicated with the highest dose of steroids and morphine I’d ever been on.
“One day, I had an allergic reaction and my lips started swelling so much I looked like a cartoon duck.
We’ve had a lot of sleepless nights and raffling your family home is not for the faint hearted
Aily Chalmers
“The swelling spread to my throat, causing a crisis team to clear my airway to enable me to breathe.”
Aily – mother to Imogen, seven, Indiana, five, and one-year-old Ivy explains: “Nathan’s illness and frequent hospital stays have put a massive strain on the family so moving to Hampshire where Nathan’s family live will offer us the vital support we need.
“Looking after three young children whilst trying to work if Nathan is in hospital puts a lot of pressure on the family both emotionally and financially so we really need to move as soon as possible and the raffle seemed the obvious solution.”
How does the NHS treat Addison’s disease?
Addison’s disease, also called adrenal insufficiency, is an uncommon illness that occurs where the body does not make enough of vital hormones.
In up to 90 per cent of cases, it is the result of a problem with the immune system, which causes it to attack the outer layer of the adrenal gland.
The early symptoms are similar to flu, including lack of energy or motivation, muscle weakness, low mood, loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss and increased thirst.
Dizziness, fainting, cramps and exhaustion can come on after.
With treatment, symptoms of Addison’s disease can largely be controlled.
Most people with the condition have a normal lifespan and are able to live an active life with few limitations.
But many people with Addison’s disease also find they must learn to manage bouts of fatigue, and there may be associated health conditions, such as diabetes or an underactive thyroid.
Treatment
Treatment usually involves corticosteroid (steroid) replacement therapy for life, the NHS says.
Corticosteroid medicine is used to replace the hormones cortisol and aldosterone, which the body is not produing enough of.
Some people take dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to improve their stamina or libido (sex drive). DHEA is not available on the NHS.
In general, the medicines used for Addison’s disease do not have side effects, unless the dose is too high.
This can risk problems such as weakened bones (osteoporosis), mood swings and difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
The conditions associated with Addison’s disease, such as diabetes or underactive thyroid, may need medication too.
The couple are are selling 450,000 raffle tickets, with the winner set to receive the house free from stamp duty and fees[/caption]
They initially put their four-bed detached home near Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, on the market, but were instantly put off[/caption]
Aily, who has documented their raffle journey on her Instagram page @600khouse, adds: “Our friends think we are bonkers, but they don’t know the real reason for us wanting to move so quickly.
“So far we’ve sold roughly 150,000 tickets, which equates to around £300,000, and if we don’t reach our target, the winner will receive 50 per cent and the rest goes on affiliate fees such as £90,000 commission for the raffle host and £30,000 for marketing costs.
“Anything left after all the costs are taken into account would go to us minus tax.
“We’ve had a lot of sleepless nights, and raffling your family home is not for the faint-hearted.
“With Nathan not being able to work regularly because of his illness, we struggle to get by some months, so we thought, why wait for the housing market to recover and just go for it with the raffle.”
Their new-build home, built seven years ago, also has three bathrooms, a study, a snug and an open-plan dining room lounge.
Nathan added: “Aily has been put under more stress and pressure than any wife should ever be, solely looking after our girls and working during my frequent hospital stays.
“They are the most important people in the world to me and deserve a release from the pressure by having extra help around us.
WHAT IS A HOUSE RAFFLE?
It is a draw to win a house which you can enter for free or by buying at least one ticket. The winner is drawn at random on a specified date and is given the advertised home as a prize.
They are commonly known as raffles but in fact a raffle, whereby you purchase a ticket, is legally a lottery which can only be run for charitable causes not for private profit. They are regulated by the Gambling Commission.
Homeowners or companies raffling off houses for profit must run either a draw which offers free tickets to people who enter by post.
Or they must pose a question which entrants have to answer correctly to be entered into a prize competition. The Gambling Commission does not regulate either.
But if organisers do not follow the draw or competition rules they will be shut down for running an illegal lottery and entrants lose their money.
“As a father, I want to still be around when the girls grow up.
“Moving quickly would give me more time to focus on getting better and being the best father and husband I can be.
“If we can reach our target, we will be delighted to give away our fabulous home to the lucky winner for the price of less than a cup of coffee.
“With just a few days still to go before the draw, we are keeping our fingers crossed.
“If we don’t reach our target, it won’t be through lack of effort, that’s for sure.”
You can enter the raffle here. The raffle ends Monday, 13th October 2025, at 23:55 or when the last ticket is sold
