A woman whose husband has terminal cancer has won USD 3 million on a scratchcard ticket and said she plans to make his last days as great as possible – starting with a dream trip to Alaska.
Penny Reep, 50, of Armstrong County won the prize by playing a $3 Million Diamonds and Gold scratchcard at Chicora borough, Butler County, in the US state of Pennsylvania, which she bought on 16th October.
Penny said in a statement obtained by Newsflash from Pennsylvania Lottery: “I had a dentist appointment in Butler that Monday and stopped at Rummy Mart to exchange some winning tickets.
“I bought one of the USD 10 [GBP 8] tickets and the USD 30 [GBP 24] ticket. I scratched the USD 30 ticket and thought, ‘I’m not seeing this right’.
“When I scanned it, it said, ‘Congratulations, you won USD 3 million [GBP 2.4 million].’ I grabbed the counter and started crying.
“I had chest pain and it felt like my feet were coming out from underneath of me.”
Penny said the win came at the right time and added: “My husband has a very rare form of cancer, and it’s not curable.
“We don’t know how long we have with him. He’s no longer able to work and I’ve been trying to take care of him, but I’m also having health problems.”
Penny said she now plans to fulfil her husband’s dream of visiting Alaska.
She said: “It was always a pipe dream.
“Now, I’m going to be able to give him everything he’s always wanted.”
She said the win will not change them and added: “We are going to stay the same people.
“We will continue living in our house and invest the money, but now we will have memories for a lifetime.”
Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko said: “Congratulations to our newest millionaire, Penny, on her life-changing prize.
“We would also like to congratulate our retailer, Rummy Mart, for selling the big winning ticket.
“Thanks to our players and retailers, the PA Lottery is continuing to fulfill its mission of responsibly generating funds for programs that benefit older Pennsylvanians.”
The retailer will receive a USD 10,000 (GBP 8,140) bonus for selling the winning ticket.
