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Terri Watkins says it hasn't been easy working as a COVID-19 nurse in a long-term facility in Durham County, North Carolina.
But her life got a little easier this week when she received a phone call telling her she'd won $1 million in the North Carolina lottery.
"I thought that it was a scam," she said, according to a lottery news release. "I was a little upset actually! I thought that it was not real, couldn't be real. It's still something that I really don't believe, I'm still in some shock here."
She held the winning ticket among 513,000 tickets sold in the final $300,000,000 Supreme Riches second-chance drawing.
"I'm a nurse and I work in the COVID unit at a long-term care facility," she said. "Just seeing some of the things that I've had to see, I am very thankful. I had been praying for something to help me with this situation. It really is a great thing. I'm very blessed."
Watkins had the choice of receiving an annuity of $50,000 annually over 20 years or a $600,000 lump sum. She chose the latter and will pocket $424,000 after state and federal taxes are taken out.
"I'm just gonna take it slow and easy and figure out what I'm gonna do," Watkins said. "I would love a new home, but I've just got to take time and put it in the right place."
WebMD Health News © 2021
Cite this: Ralph Ellis. COVID-19 Nurse Wins $1 Million in Lottery - Medscape - Jan 14, 2021.
