A Canadian woman won a $ 60 million prize with numbers from a dream her husband had 20 years ago.
Deng Pravatoudom, 57, has been playing the numbers for the past two decades, and finally paid off last month, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) said in a press release Monday.
“I started crying,” Pravatoudom said upon hearing the good news.
“I have always prayed for a blessing to take care of my family!”
The two-child grandmother, who was fired last spring amid the coronavirus pandemic, said she was grateful for the cash infusion.
“My husband and I have worked long hours as general workers for over 40 years, trying to save what we could for our family …” she said.
“Without a doubt, this money will help us make life a lot easier.”
As a Laotian immigrant who came to Canada with his 14 brothers in 1980, Pravatoudom said winning the award had been beyond his wildest dreams.
“My family was sponsored by a local church and as we had nothing, I am grateful for the great support they provided us over the years,” Pravatoudom said.
The couple’s two children were relieved to hear about the big victory.
“They said,‘ Mother and father, you have worked so hard for 40 years and made so many sacrifices, so you deserve that happiness, ’Pravatoudom recalled.
She and her husband plan to leave their apartment and buy a house with the profits, in addition to paying some bills.
Pravatoudom also wants to travel: to Texas, Hawaii and Europe.
“Except when I came to Canada from Laos, I’ve never traveled,” he said. “I’m excited to see the world.”