Mother who used her life savings to pay for daughter’s cancer treatment wins $2m lottery jackpot on scratch-off ticket
- A mom who had used her entire life savings to pay for her daughter’s cancer treatment won $2 million in the Florida lottery
- Geraldine Gimblet bought the last available lottery ticket for a $2m scratch-off game at a gas station a day after her daughter had a last round of treatment
- The gas station attendant informed her there were no more tickets available but she insisted he check again and eventually found the last ticket
A mother from Florida who had used her entire life savings to pay for her daughter’s cancer treatment ended up winning a $2 million jackpot after playing a scratch-off card in the Florida lottery.
Geraldine Gimblet bought the last available lottery ticket for the $2,000,000 Bonus Cashword Scratch-Off game at a gas station in Lakeland, near Tampa.
Her purchase came the day after her daughter had finally completed her last round of cancer treatment.
Geraldine Gimblet, center, used her entire life savings to pay for her daughter’s cancer treatment – but won $2 million in the Florida lottery after purchasing a scratch-off card
Geraldine Gimblet bought the last available lottery ticket for a $2m scratch-off game at a gas station a day after her daughter had a last round of treatment
Gimblet bought the ticket at this Lakeland gas station. The attendant informed her there were no more tickets available but she insisted he check again and eventually found the last ticket
The winning ticket, based on a crossword game, saw Gimblet win a $2 million jackpot
Although the gas station attendant told her there were no more tickets available, Gimblet insisted he check again, and one final ticket was found.
The scratch-off cost $10 – but it was the winning ticket.
‘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. He found the last one!’ Gimblet explained.
Gimblet later accompanied her daughter and granddaughter to claim her prize of $2 million at the Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee opting for a lump sum payment of $1,645,000.
Gimblet’s daughter told lottery officials how her mother’s win had impacted her, crying tears of joy.
‘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.’
