(CNN) A homeless woman from California went to a Walmart Supercenter to change her oil. With a lottery ticket worth millions being scratched, her luck — and her life — changed, too.
Lucia Forsyth won $5 million in a game of Scratchers after purchasing a ticket at a store in Pittsburgh, 40 miles east of San Francisco, the California Lottery announced Wednesday.
Forsyth said she closed her eyes and bought a ticket. She opened them to find that she would become an instant millionaire. “Don’t ever think you have a chance of winning it,” Forsyth said in a California Lottery press release. “It’s just random.”
At first, Forsyth thought she had just won another ticket, “But I checked, and said I won five million dollars!” She said.
Her victory in the 2023 Scratchers makes her the third ticket winner in California this year. there Two tickets worth $5 million Still there. The odds of winning the game are 1 in 3,088,854, according to the California Lottery.
It’s a Cinderella story for Forsyth, who had nowhere to live in 2017.
“Being homeless for only six years, I never thought this would happen to someone like me,” she said.
Forsyth said she plans to get married this year and earn an associate’s degree.
“Hearing a success story like this shows the positive impact our games have on winners and schools alike,” said California Lottery spokeswoman Carolyn Baker.
“Infuriatingly humble alcohol fanatic. Unapologetic beer practitioner. Analyst.”