"Feels so freeing": Man wins lottery jackpot on way to doctor's appointment
Paul Derry, a resident of Oshawa, Ontario, has won the provincial lottery jackpot of $649,377.60, and his happiness knows no bounds.
The 65-year-old consistently tried his luck at the lotto for five years and won smaller prizes.
“I go to the store every Friday to pick up Instant tickets for my wife and Lottario tickets for myself,” Derry shared while at Toronto’s OLG Prize Centre. But his life changed dramatically on May 20 in a Lottario draw.
Derry had bought a lottery ticket at Munchies Gift & Variety on King Street in Oshawa.
He was going to a doctor’s appointment when he stopped at a convenience store to check the ticket. To his shock, the dad of four had won an enormous prize.
“I went out to the car and said to my wife, ‘You better park – I think I just won big!'” Derry recounted.
The whole thing felt too good to be true. It was so hard to believe, in fact, that he returned to the store and rechecked his ticket.
“The machine shut down, but my blood pressure went way up!” he said, laughing.
Such a colossal win deserves plans to match, and Derry has several.
“My son and I went to Scotland and Ireland recently – I’d love to keep exploring the world with my family. I also want to support my son’s marriage ceremony,” he revealed. “This win feels so freeing.”
Several generous lottery winners have recently said they want to help their family members — especially their children and grandchildren — with their windfall.
The most common plans vary from covering medical expenses to providing housing.
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