A lucky Attleboro man won $1 million from a Massachusetts scratch-off ticket with the word "heart" in it -- shortly after undergoing open-heart surgery.
Alexander McLeish claimed the million-dollar prize on Friday, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery.
McLeish underwent the surgery earlier this month, the lottery said in a statement. As a get-well gift, he received a card and three lottery tickets from a longtime friend. Among them was the winning ticket, from the "$5,000,000 100X Cashword" game.
McLeish's story is full of lucky surprises, starting with the ticket itself.
The first three letters McLeish scratched happened to be his initials: A, W and M. But there was another coincidence -- when McLeish scratched out the winning puzzle, at the bottom was the word "heart."
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Moreover, this was not the first time McLeish's friend had brought him good luck. The Attleboro man told the state lottery he also won $1,000 several years ago on a ticket he received as a birthday gift from the same friend.
For his latest win, McLeish opted to take the cash option and brought home a total of $650,000 before taxes.
The winning ticket was purchased at Quickeez Beer, Wine and Convenience Store in Carver, netting the store a $10,000 bonus, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery.
