Mom wins ‘epic jackpot’ — and can’t wait to tell her daughter. ‘I started hollering’
A mom won an “epic jackpot” prize — and she couldn’t wait to share the good news.
“I called my daughter right away,” Melanie Melendez told the North Carolina Education Lottery. “I started hollering on the phone.”
Melendez couldn’t contain her excitement after she tried her luck on a Wheel of Bonuses ticket. On Nov. 16, she spent $5 to play the online game, which features a spinning prize wheel.
“It was spinning and I was just thinking to myself, ‘Wouldn’t it be crazy if I won,’” Melendez, who lives in Charlotte, told lottery officials in a Dec. 4 news release. “You just never know when it can happen.”
Melendez beat 1-in-6.2 million odds to score the life-changing prize of $404,917. She kept $289,518 after taxes.
After winning the “epic jackpot,” Melendez hopes to donate to her church, make investments and pay bills, officials said.
It’s not the first time a lottery player has shared the news of their big prize right away. Another lucky North Carolina winner rushed to tell his wife that he got richer, but she thought he was joking, McClatchy News reported in March.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Mom wins ‘epic jackpot’ — and can’t wait to tell her daughter. ‘I started hollering’."
