A North Carolina man diagnosed with colon cancer decided to make a stop at a local store to purchase a scratch-off lottery ticket while he was heading to his final chemotherapy on Tuesday.
On that day Ronnie Foster first bought a $1 ticket, winning a meager $5. He had a stroke of good luck when he decided to trade the prize for two more tickets.
The first ticket didn’t bring him anything. However, he won $200,000 when he scratched off the second ticket, with the former Department of Transportation worker saying he froze upon seeing “all those zeroes.”
“When it showed, ‘Go to lottery headquarters,’ I started shaking. I couldn’t believe it.”
The lucky winner claimed his payout on Friday, receiving $141,501 after taxes.
Foster will spend a part of his payout on the treatment costs which weren’t covered by his medical insurance. He plans to save the remainder for the future.
The North Carolina Lottery grossed more than $700 million in 2018 which went towards the state’s education programs.