5 Moms Who Hit the Lottery Jackpot

Today I have a post from Kira about 5 mums who have won the lottery. Hopefully I will be number 6! 🙂

Sometimes it happens when you’re at work staring at the computer or while folding yet another load of fresh laundry – you catch yourself daydreaming about winning the lottery. What would you do with a spare million or two? For most of us, this will remain a question to be answered only in our daydreams, but for these five moms, winning the lottery and all the questions that go with it are very real.

Marie Holmes

Marie Holmes has not had an easy life. As a single mom of four kids, she had to give up her college education in order to take care of them. One of her children has cerebral palsy and she had to quit her minimum wage jobs to care for him full-time. That is a lot for anyone to handle, but the 26-year-old was handling life’s challenges with grace. Her hardships were eased when she bought a US Powerball ticket for the $564 million jackpot on 11 February 2015 and turned out to be a winner. Two other ticket holders matched the numbers as well, for a total prize of $188 million each before taxes. Her family says there couldn’t be anyone more deserving. Holmes said she has no plans to spend the money on luxury items, and instead wants to use the money wisely to create a bright future that lasts for generations. She plans to establish college funds for all her kids, donate to her church, and help her extended family. She is even considering restarting her own college dream. “I don’t have to worry about depending on nobody, I can do it all by myself. I can go back to school and make an even better life for my kids.”

Thuan Le

Sometimes things happen that make you want to believe in fate. Thuan Le, a single mother of four, always spent exactly $5 playing the lottery every week – buying two Powerball tickets and one California SuperLotto Plus ticket. In May 2013, she accidentally put $6 into the self-service machine and instead of asking for the money back, she bought another California SuperLotto Plus ticket. That was a good choice because that accidental ticket ended up netting Le a $14 million jackpot. A very happy accident indeed.

Kelsey Zachow

Who says Friday the 13th is unlucky? 13 June 2014 turned out to be a very lucky day for 24-year-old Kelsey Zachow, a single mom in Michigan. Zachow purchased a ticket for the $66 Mega Millions jackpot and won that night – though she didn’t check the ticket for another 11 days. When she finally checked the numbers and saw she won, she said she couldn’t breathe. Zachow chose to take the winnings as a lump sum, totaling $27 million after taxes. Prior to her win, she worked as a bartender and medical assistant, supporting her seven-month son – her boyfriend also has a daughter from a previous relationship. With her new millions, Zachow said she plans to set up education funds for their kids, as well as her two-year-old brother. She also has sights on some future luxuries but remains grounded: “I have always wanted an electric blue Ford Mustang, and one day I will get one, but helping my family live comfortably comes first for me.”

Jenn Burston

A lottery loving mom of two from Exeter thought she had won £3,000 with a Lucky Dip ticket she bought online in December 2014. But Christmas came early for the Burstons as they realized that her ticket actually was worth a staggering £3 million! With the money, she and her husband plan to move to a larger family home, help out their family, and put the rest into savings. That Lucky Dip was definitely the best online purchase Jenn made that Christmas season!

Priti Shah

Do you always struggle to get your mom the perfect Mother’s Day present? One daughter in Des Plaines, Illinois ended up giving her mom a better gift than she ever imagined. Priti Shah received three lottery instant tickets for Mother’s Day 2015; she scratched the first two tickets with a coin and won nothing. The third ticket, however, revealed itself to be a $4 million winner! Shah will receive $200,000 annually for the next 20 years. The big question is: what will her daughter do for Mother’s Day 2016?

Winning the jackpot may be a longshot, but a mom can still dream. Best of luck to all the lottery-playing moms out there!