"It's so wonderful": BC mother-daughter hospital workers win $500K lotto prize

Theresa Worthington and her daughter Alexa thought they were stopping at the store to satisfy a licorice craving but instead ended up leaving with something sweeter after matching five numbers from Daily Grand draw to win the secondary prize of $500,000.

Theresa, from Sorrento, and Alexa, from Salmon Arm, are both hospital workers who regularly play the lottery together. They always use the Quick Pick option to select their numbers.

Theresa said that while she was inside the store, she remembered purchasing a ticket with her daughter and scanned it together on the self-checker. The prize amount didn’t show up on the screen, so they waited in anticipation while the retailer checked it.

“We couldn’t believe it and still don’t really believe it yet,” Theresa said.

The first person Theresa shared the news with was her husband. “He thought I was lying at first. Then he noticed I was shaking really bad, so he realized it must be real,” she said. “To calm down, I decided to bake some cookies for the dogs and then some for us to enjoy with milk to celebrate.”

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Both Theresa and Alexa have their sights set on a trip to Australia once it’s safe to travel again.

Theresa plans to put part of her prize towards a new kitchen table, perhaps to assist with her passion for baking.

The duo purchased the winning ticket from Orchard Park Mall on Harvey Avenue in Kelowna and won the February 8 draw.