A quiz show contestant and cancer survivor has paid off his medical bills after winning a record $500,000 on Million Dollar Minute - and he's not finished yet. Andrew Skarbek, 47, has been on the Channel 7 afternoon quiz for 14 days, building up to a guaranteed 'safety jackpot' of $314,500. After a perfect run in the final minutes of Monday's show, when he answered five sudden death questions correctly, he became one of only four Million Dollar Minute contestants to reach $500,000. Scroll down for video . Andrew Skarbek, with his wife Jenny, is only the fourth Million Dollar Minute contestant to win $500,000 - but he's not stopping there . Which country shares its name with a Womble? a) Latvia . b) Bulgaria . c) China . What is the name of the hospital in the TV series 'St Elsewhere'? a) St Elijah . b) St Eligius . c) St Ignatius . Who is an English mathematician, often called the 'father of computing'? a) Charles Babbage . b) Charles Dodgson . c) Charles Lamb . Which painter is credited with inventing the technique of pointillism? a) Monet . b) Gauguin . c) Seurat . Former Queensland Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen was born in which country? a) South Africa . b) New Zealand . c) Australia . Answers: Bulgaria, St Eliguis, Charles Babbage, Seurat, New Zealand . But that isn't the end of the nail-biting ride - when given the option to take the money and run Mr Skarbek opted to risk the $500,000 for a chance of becoming a millionaire. As his wife of 19 years, Jenny, joined him on stage for his winning moment on Monday, Mr Skarbek, from Hawthorn, Victoria, said he had been given a second chance at life and was determined not to waste it. 'I came here to win $1 million and that is what I am going to do,' he said. Mr Skarbek told Daily Mail Australia that the moment he decided not to take the $500,000 was the moment it 'stopped being about the money.' 'It's about more than the money now. It's about proving to myself that I can do it. 'A lot of people might think it's crazy not to leave with the $500,000 and I know it would have been so easy, but I do back myself.' Mr Skarbek hit financial trouble after being diagnosed with mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. His six-month treatment cost $50,000, putting further strain on the couple who said they were trapped in the renting cycle. 'My wife and I have been living hand to mouth and even had to call on our parents to help cover the blow-out on medical bills with my six-month cancer treatment. Million Dollar Minute has saved us,' he said. Things started to turn around when Mr Skarbek was given a clean bill of health and was told he had got on to the the show in the same week. After missing out by only one question last week Mr Skarbek was delighted to finally reach the $500,000 milestone . Mr Skarbek, who spent years dragging his wife Jenny to pub trivia nights, got into debt when he had to pay sky-high medical bills to treat his cancer . 'Sometimes you get in a rut. You know things will improve eventually but it's hard to see how. Then I got the great medical news and found out I was going to make the show,' he said. 'A whole series of things just started coming my way.' He said it was also a 'great comfort' knowing he had already locked in a pretty substantial prize of more than $300,000. Upon learning he had secured the safety jackpot, Mr Skarbek said his wife suggested he should should share their good fortune, donating to The Smith Family charity. Mr Skarbek says his 78-year-old mother Sophie has always supported him, with his parents helping him and wife financially . 'Jenny was thinking about how tough some people do it and what a magical thing it would be to win that money and help someone else that's in need,' he said. Surprisingly, Mr Skarbek said he wasn't a particularly good student at school, instead saying he inherited his thirst for knowledge from his father. 'Ever since I was a little kid a lot of my family used to nickname me 'The Professor'. I was always reading,' he said. Mr Skarbek, pictured as a child with family members, said travelling the world was the 'greatest gift' he was given . He spent his younger years travelling the world with his family which he said was the 'greatest gift' he was ever given. A young Mr Skarbek was nicknamed 'The Professor' Mr Skarbek said he has been an avid trivia player at his local pub for as long as he can remember and was elated to find his years of training could be put to good use. 'This is the only chance I've had to actually do something with my trivia skills,' he said. With a 'life-changing' amount of money coming his way, Mr Skarbek said it was his wife that was having trouble comprehending how much their lives will change. He plans to become a homeowner after spending years renting and wants to satisfy his wanderlust by taking his wife to Europe for the first time. Being the sensible man he is Mr Skarbek said he won't be rushing to hand in his notice at work however after spending 15 years in the energy industry he thinks might use his passion for trivia to get into the entertainment business. 'You never know, I might land a job on Channel 7,' he joked. Mr Skarbek returns on Tuesday afternoon to be the first contestant to ever play for $750,000. If successful, he will be one step away from the ultimate prize of $1 million on Wednesday. Andrew Skarbek plays for $750,000 on MILLION DOLLAR MINUTE on Tuesday, March 17 at 5.30pm on Channel 7. Mr Skarbek claims he wasn't a particularly good student but loved to read and had a thirst for knowledge . In sickness and health: Mr Skarbek and his wife Jenny have been happily married for 19 years . Wanderlust: Mr Skarbek says he'll use some of the prizemoney to take his wife to Europe .
Andrew Skarbek has won $500,000 on Million Dollar Minute . The cancer survivor, 47, from Melbourne, will use some of the money to pay his medical bills . He will also donate to charity after being given a 'second chance at life'
But he isn't finished yet - he has vowed to go for $1 million . Only four people in the Channel 7 show's history have got this far .