Hospital worker vows to quit lottery, but then wins big. ‘Almost had a heart attack’

Thinking about quitting playing the lottery because of her lack of success, a woman’s last-ditch effort to win big paid off.

Shirley Washington, a 61-year-old hospital worker from Little Rock, recently claimed a $390,000 prize after winning the Lucky for Life lottery game, Arkansas officials say in a news release.

It came at an opportune time for Washington, who plans to retire next year after working at her local hospital for 42 years. She told a friend she was contemplating quitting playing the lottery but decided to purchase a ticket through the Jackpocket app Nov. 30.

“I was awakened that night at 10:17. A man was telling me I had won a big jackpot,” Washington told lottery officials. “I said, ‘Don’t play with me!’ He told me he was serious and to go look at the numbers. When I did, I almost had a heart attack.”

She matched five numbers — 5, 6, 11, 15 and 30 — without the Lucky Ball number 9. Instead of taking the $25,000 a year life, Washington took the cash option of nearly $400,000.

Washington told lottery officials she couldn’t sleep after finding out she won, so she called her mother at 1 a.m. With her winnings, Washington plans to help her mother with house remodeling.

This story was originally published December 19, 2022 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Hospital worker vows to quit lottery, but then wins big. ‘Almost had a heart attack’."