Single Mum Of 4 Winner Of Powerball Lotto Gets $188M Check

Eleven days after she found out that she held one of the three winning tickets in the $546-million Powerball jackpot drawn on Feb 12, 26-year-old Marie Holmes of North Carolina finally held on Monday, Feb 23, the cheque for $188 million.

She is one of the three winners of the third-largest Powerball jackpot with her bet on the winning number combination of 11, 13, 25, 39, 54 and Powerball 19. The two other winners from Texas and Puerto Rico have not been publicly identified by the operator of the lotto.

Holmes, from Brunswick County, is the single mother of four young kids, one of whom has Cerebral Palsy, which forced her to resign from her jobs in Walmart and McDonald’s and resulted in her struggling financially.

She told WECT that she thought she would have a heart attack when she learned that she held the winning ticket, sold to Holmes by her uncle.

She plans to place the prize money in a college fund for her children and give some to her church, acknowledging that “I would have none of it if it wasn’t for God,” quotes Mashable.

Holmes shares that because she has four kids, a son and three daughters, to raise on her own, it was a difficult journey, but she insists, “I wouldn’t trade nothing because they’re a blessing.”

Upon picking up the cheque, she said, “This is going to make a huge difference for them. They are going to be able to go to school and not worry about paying for it. They are going to live a comfortable life without struggling,” quotes ABC.

She will consult lawyers and finance experts in Raleigh so she wouldn’t end up like past lotto millionaires who regretted winning. Holmes also plans to help some relatives and buy a car and house.

Holmes is the fourth winner from North Carolina.

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au