Alexander McLeish believed himself lucky after surviving open heart surgery in November.
Soon after, he found his luck incredible as he won a million dollars with one of three lottery tickets that a friend gave him along with a card that read "Get Well Soon."
When McLeish, of Attleborough, Massachusetts, rasped the first letters found their initials A, W and M
.
Surprised by the coincidence, he sent a message to his childhood friend, whom he identified only as Larry, telling him that the ticket was "haunted."
Then he got "heart", which would be common if it weren't for the surgery he was recovering from.
Then, word after word, he added 11 that, according to the rules of the game that he rewards according to the amount found, would give him a million dollars.
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"We check it two, three and four times, because
you want to make sure it's real before you tell someone,
" he told The Boston Herald.
"At first I did not believe it, but then I calmed down and it was as if I could not believe what had happened," he said.
It is not the first time that his friend Larry has given him a winning ticket.
Earlier, on his 60th birthday, he won $ 1,000 with a ticket that his friend bought at the
Quickeez Beer, Wine and Convenience Store
where he also acquired the "$ 5,000,000 100X Cashword" that he gave him now, the Massachusetts state lottery revealed on its website. .
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When he found out on Thanksgiving that he had a million dollar ticket, McLeish called his wife.
"She says to me: 'Did you win something?'
I replied, 'Yes, a million dollars.'
She replied, 'No, seriously, what did you win?'
'A million dollars,' he replied again, he told the newspaper.
When the holidays were over, he told his friend.
Alexander McLeish in the photo shared by the Massachusetts State Lottery.Massachusetts State Lottery
According to the state lottery, McLeish claimed his cash prize on Friday, November 26, and received a one-time payment of $ 650,000, before taxes.
McLeish, who works at the Coca-Cola company, assured that he
will give part of the money to his children and another to Larry
.
He does not know what he will do with the rest, but he thinks he will make a trip that he had already booked to the Bahamas more luxurious.
The store where your friend bought the $ 20 ticket will receive a $ 10,000 bonus for the sale.