"I was shaking": Lottery winner to use winnings to help family back home

What’s the first thing you’d do if you won the lottery?

Most people would use their winnings to pay their bills, invest, or go on a vacation. But one generous winner has other plans.

Seelawathy Senthivel, a 47-year-old mother of three, is a resident of Brampton, Ontario. She said that she’s been a regular lottery player for 25 years. So after buying her usual ticket, she took it to the store to see if she had won anything.

“When I scanned my ticket on the ticket checker at the store and saw ‘Big Winner,’ I was so excited I was shaking,” she recalled.

She immediately headed to the car where her son was waiting and shared the happy news with him.

“He was excited for me, too,” she said. “We both couldn’t believe it.”

Seelawathy Senthivel (OLG)

Senthivel had won the Lotto 6/49 second prize in the November 16 draw. Her prize: $54,885.

It’s her first big win.

While at the OLG Prize Centre to pick up her cheque, she said she doesn’t have any immediate plans for her winnings. However, she does plan to use the money to help “family back home.”

Senthivel’s winning ticket was purchased at Sobeys on North Park Drive in Brampton.