Retiree Elizabeth Trafford was so overwhelmed she started to hyperventilate after finding out she’d won $40-million.
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“Every Saturday I take my dog for a walk, then drive to a little nearby store to fill up with gas, grab a newspaper, and check my lottery tickets” from the Dec. 10, 2024 Lotto Max draw, the Fergus woman told OLG.
“The first ticket I checked at the lottery terminal wasn’t a winner, but the second one ‘blew up’ the machine, and all I saw was ‘Big Winner!’ I spoke with an OLG representative who called the store. When they told me exactly how much I’d won, I started to hyperventilate!”
Trafford then went to her car and immediately called her son to share the news.
“His initial reaction was disbelief, and it took a few minutes for him to understand this was not a joke,” she said.
Trafford’s son and his wife, who live in another community, drove to Fergus to be with her.
“You always want to give something wonderful to your child,” she told OLG. “He will get a nice house, but I’m also comforted by the fact that he will inherit this legacy. It’s important to know that this will go on.”
One of her biggest immediate concerns was the security of her winning ticket.
“All of a sudden, I realized this little slip of paper with Quick Pick numbers which I’d paid $6 for was now worth $40 million!” she said.
“I see myself as a steward of this money. There’s so much good I can do with this windfall, and I want to give back in a meaningful way. In the coming months, I’ll work with the team I’ve gathered to identify and prioritize the causes and interests that are near and dear to me.”
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As for spoiling herself a little bit, exploring the world is right up there.
“I’ve always wanted to travel, and that’s what I’ll get out of this win,” said Trafford. “I can now consider exotic places, and I think to myself, ‘I can actually do that now.’”
In fact, she’d already planned a trip to South Africa before winning the jackpot and is now going to visit a few more African countries and add some special extras to the adventure.
“It’s been an extraordinarily moving experience for me,” she said. “They said, ‘If anyone deserves this, it’s you.’ This is quite something, and it’s very meaningful to me.”
The winning ticket was bought at Blinkhorn’s Corner Variety on St. David St. N. in Fergus.