By winning the modest sum of 552 million dollars (approximately 513 million euros), you can have a head full of dreams. However, some manage to keep their feet on the ground, like this American player.
As reported by the Illinois Lottery (United States), this man – who wishes to remain anonymous – won the Mega Millions jackpot. It was by playing the following numbers 19-37-40-63-69-17 on June 4 that his life changed.
“I was shocked”
“I was checking my email when I saw that the Illinois Lottery was asking me to verify my numbers because I won something. I’ve already won $2 here or $5 there, so I told myself it was the same thing.”explains the lucky guy.
Read also : EuroMillions. His late grandmother appears in his dream to advise him to play: he wins the million
It wasn’t the same thing at all: “You can’t imagine how shocked I was, in disbelief, when I saw the amount of $552 million. I left the app and logged back in to verify that it was indeed true. C “was very real but even today, it remains unreal”he smiles.
When collecting his winnings, he slipped in a few words to explain what he intended to do with this money: “I was raised by a single mother. Throughout my childhood, she worked two jobs to support our family, so that we had food to eat every day and could receive an education.”
“It was my way of saying thank you”
He pursues : “As soon as I finished high school, I started working and I haven’t stopped since. I spent my life working as a laborer and once I earned a decent living, I told my mother to retire and that I was going to take care of her. It was my way of saying thank you for all the sacrifices she made for us.”
Now all that remains is to break the news to his mother, who should enjoy a happy retirement: “I haven’t yet told him about this win that will change our lives. When I tell him, we will cry with joy”he predicts.
Early retirement
With such a nice win, he will not only be able to offer his mother the best retirement, but also anticipate his own: “I’ve always dreamed of retiring early and enjoying life with my family. It’s pretty easy to say that my dream has just come true…”
This jackpot becomes the ninth largest win in Mega Millions history, and the second largest won in Illinois. In July 2022, a player had pocketed… 1.337 billion dollars!
Learn more…
