A woman from a small New Brunswick town said she was on the verge of tears after discovering she had suddenly become a millionaire — as she became the latest winner of a $1-million Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball draw last week.
Sharon Gallup is from the community of Burton, which is located near Fredericton, and said she’s been a regular lottery player for more than 30 years and had always dreamt of this moment.
“I could really cry now because it is quite overwhelming,” Gallup said in a release from Atlantic Lottery on Tuesday.
After realizing the digits on her ticket aligned with the winning numbers announced during the draw, Gallup phoned a representative and introduced herself as the owner of the million-dollar prize.
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After everything was verified, Gallup was excited to share the developments with her two children — with one daughter having to temporarily contain her excitement until she found a quieter place to process the news.
“I called my youngest daughter, and she yelled quite loudly in my ear, she could barely believe what I was telling her,” Gallup explained.
“Then I called my other who was in church, but I didn’t realize it, so she was whispering to me ‘I’m in church, I can’t scream,’ so we had quite the conversation once she was finally free.”
Gallup’s two daughters accompanied her to the Atlantic Lottery office when it was time to process the win. And to her surprise, it wasn’t just immediate family celebrating her winnings, as she said a total stranger applauded her when arriving in the Moncton parking lot.
“We had parked in one of the winners’ parking spots in the lot and a pedestrian was walking by,” she continued.
“When they saw us there, they stopped and clapped. A total stranger.”
As for what she hopes to do with her earnings, Gallup said taking care of her family is a main priority as she hopes to use the funds to assist her two daughters and grandchildren — along with purchasing a new vehicle.
Gallup takes comfort in knowing she will have more freedom to do what she wants when opportunities arise.
“You dream of this day, every time you buy a ticket you dream and now it’s here,” she said.
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