Grandma battling breast cancer wins $5 million lottery game: 'Couldn't believe it'
A great-grandmother battling cancer recently won a $5 million lottery game in Pennsylvania, state officials said.
In a press release published June 27, the Pennsylvania Lottery said Lancaster County resident Donna Osborne, 75, won the money through a $5 million scratch-off ticket called Monopoly Own It All. The game was introduced in December and costs $50 to play.
Osborne, who transports Amish people for a living, told officials an unfortunate airport experience eventually led her to the winning ticket.
"I was at the airport with my daughter. We were on our way to see family in Florida when the flight got delayed," she explained.
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"Well, it was delayed so many times, I decided to go home. My daughter stayed and flew to Florida."
Because the great-grandmother opted to travel back home, she ended up purchasing the winning scratcher at a Speedway in Lancaster County.
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"If I didn’t leave the airport, I would have never bought that ticket," she said.
Osborne immediately scratched off the lottery ticket in the parking lot of the gas station. When she saw the results, she was shocked.
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"I could not believe my eyes," she said. "I went back into the store and said, ‘Can you please check this? Is it right or wrong?’ Well, the clerk said, ‘It’s right.'"
Not only had Osborne just finished radiation treatments when she won the prize, but her birthday was also approaching at the time. Despite her good fortune, she told lottery officials she plans to continue working.
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"I don’t know what I’d do with myself. I have to keep moving," she said. "I think I’ll invest some of the prize, sure, but then go to Alaska."
According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, the Speedway that sold Osbourne the ticket will receive a $10,000 bonus. The Pennsylvania Lottery and its retailers do not know where randomly-distributed winning tickets are sold until a prize is claimed.
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"Donna told us that she’s been playing the lottery for a long time," Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne said. "It’s thanks to players like her that the PA Lottery is able to not only create millionaires but also help seniors live a good life."