Mother wins millions in lottery after depleting life savings on daughter's cancer treatments

A Florida mother who spent her life savings on her daughter's cancer treatments won millions on a scratch ticket the day after her daughter left the hospital, CNN reports.

Geraldine Gimblet from Lakeland, Florida, won a $2 million prize off just a $10 scratch ticket at a local gas station and received her winnings as a lump-sum payment of $1,645,000.

Gimblet says that she purchased the last lottery ticket of that type at the station.

"At first the gas station clerk thought there were no tickets left, but I asked him to double-check because I like the crossword games the best," a Florida Lottery press release announced she said.

"He found the last one!" Gimblet exclaimed.

The woman's daughter, in tears, explained how she had recently completed cancer treatments that her mother had entirely paid for.

"The day before my mom bought this ticket, I rang the bell and walked out of the hospital after completing my last treatment for breast cancer," she said.

"My mom had taken out her life savings to take care of me when I was sick. I'm just so happy for her," the daughter added.

Gimblet faced incredibly low chances of success with her ticket. The odds of winning a $2 million prize for the "Bonus Cashword" game are at 1 in 3,921,270, according to the lottery website.

The retailer who sold the ticket also gets a return and earns a commission on the winning scratch-off. Pipkin Road Beverage Castle's employee took home a $2,000 for selling the winning ticket.

Three generations of the family attended the check ceremony at lottery headquarters in Tallahassee, including Gimblet's daughter and mother.

In late February 2023, a man alleged that he had a $2.04 billion Powerball ticket stolen from him. A report the following month claimed that a suspect had been identified in the theft for the record-setting jackpot. At the same time, it was already reported that the declared winner had purchased a $25 million home in the Hollywood Hills.

Litigation in the Powerball lawsuit is ongoing.

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