Cancer Patient Wins $200K Lottery on Way to Final Chemo Treatment
A North Carolina cancer patient was on his way to the hospital when a spontaneous stop at a convenience store left him $200,000 richer.
Ronnie Foster, a retired Department of Transportation employee, had been fighting the colon cancer since his diagnosis in January, according to CBS News. Undergoing months of treatments, he had been going through chemotherapy since April.
However, all that was about to change: It was his last day of chemotherapy.
On his way to the hospital, Foster decided to stop for a small celebration.
Pulling in at a convenience store in Beulaville, the retiree bought himself a couple of scratch-off tickets. He told CBS News that he normally buys only $1 or $2 tickets, but when one of his first purchases won him five bucks, he decided to spend it on a couple of “Win it All” tickets.
To his amazement, the second scratch-off proved to be a winner.
And not just any winner, but the grand prize.
“I saw all those zeroes and I froze,” Foster said, according to a North Carolina Education Lottery news release. “I didn’t believe it until I gave it to the clerk at the counter to scan.”
“When it showed, ‘Go to lottery headquarters,’ I started shaking. I couldn’t believe it,” he added.
Stunned, Foster continued on to his final treatment. Though he knew his health insurance would cover a good portion of his medical bills, he knew he would have to pay the remainder out of pocket.
An extra $200,000 would make the burden significantly lighter.
“I have good insurance,” Foster said. “But there is still some cost. This will make it a whole lot easier.”
After state and federal tax withholdings, Foster ended up with $141,501. He claimed his prize on Oct. 25, CBS News reported.
The North Carolina man said he planned to use whatever money he had left-over for a new lawnmower and maybe a new car. Anything remaining, he plans to put into savings.
He said he didn’t believe his winnings were a sign, but that he was just “at the right place at the right time.”
“I was already happy because it was my last round of chemo,” he said. The lottery winnings only made the special day all the sweeter.
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