Sometimes you hear of a lottery winner and go, “What do they need the money for? They’re loaded.” And sometimes you exclaim, “Now, THIS is heartwarming.”
Shawna Donnelly definitely falls in the second category.
The 50-year-old woman from Clarkston, Michigan, was facing homelessness. On top of that, she was caring full time for her mom. Money was tight.
Earlier this month, she plunked down $2 for a “Lucky for Life” lottery ticket at a 7-Eleven. The payouts for the game go from a mere $3 to a lifetime of riches.
“I woke up in the middle of the night and had a feeling I should check my tickets,” Donnelly said.
And when she did, she found she matched the five white balls drawn: 15 – 11-15-32-33-40.
That meant a payout of $25,000 each year. For life.
“When I saw I matched five numbers, I must have refreshed my phone 100 times to make sure I really won!” she later told lottery officials.
On Monday, she went to the Michigan Lottery offices and picked the one-time lump sum: $390,000.
She plans to buy a car and a house, and put the rest in savings.
“The last year has been the most difficult of my life,” she said. “Winning this prize couldn’t have come at a better time.”