Ronnie Foster from Pink Hill, North Carolina has been dealing with some very difficult times in his life lately, as he had been diagnosed with colon cancer and is undergoing treatment.
However, you could say that Ronnie’s luck has started to shift, and in more ways than one.
The man, who previously worked at the state Transportation Department of North Carolina and had to retire, decided to try his luck by buying lottery tickets.
At first, the man just bought a regular $1 ticket in Beulaville in a small food mart. The man won $5 in prize money, and he decided to take that money and buy even more tickets. It’s a strategy that is often discouraged, but Ronnie did it anyway.
With two extra lottery tickets in hand, the man scratched off the protective film to reveal whether or not he’d won a prize.
“I bought a $1 ticket and won $5,” Foster said. “I decided to trade it in for a $5 ticket. At the last second, I decided to buy two tickets instead of one.”
The second ticket was a complete dud. However, when he scratched the third one, he simply couldn’t believe what was happening.
“I saw all those zeros and I froze,” Foster recalls. “I didn’t believe it until I gave it to the clerk at the counter to scan. When it showed, ‘Go to lottery headquarters,’ I started shaking. I couldn’t believe it.’”
Ronnie won an instant prize of no less than $200,000 and was completely shocked.
And the day was already pretty important for the man, as he was on his way to the hospital to get his last cancer treatment and the final chemotherapy session. This was definitely his lucky day!
“I was already happy because it was my last round of chemo,” said Foster, who’s battling colon cancer. “Winning this made it my lucky day.”
After his appointment at the doctor for this final round of treatment, Ronnie headed towards the NC Education Lottery headquarters in Raleigh to pick up his prize.
Of the massive 200,000 dollars amount, Ronnie eventually went home with a total sum of $141,501 after withholding the required federal tax and state amounts. Nonetheless, this is a lump of money that Ronnie could definitely use, especially with dozens of hefty bills for his cancer treatment. The man said that he’ll use the money to pay off all of his medical bills, and he’ll use the rest wisely and save for the future.
“I have good insurance,” the man told about his cancer treatment. “But there is still some cost. This will make it a whole lot easier.”
Not all cancer patients are as lucky as Mr. Foster, as a study recently revealed that only one year of treatment costs a whopping $46,000.
The study was published The American Journal of Medicine, which also says that 42 percent of American patients who get diagnosed with cancer use up all of their live savings within the first two years of treatment.
“Cancer costs exceed $80 billion in America each year. Over half of all cancer patients “experienced house repossession, bankruptcy, loss of independence, and relationship breakdowns.” Up to 85 percent of patients have to stop working for up to six months, putting further strain on their finances,” Big Think writes.
Frank is definitely a very lucky man, and it looks like he won’t have to worry about finances in the future and can fully focus on his health. We wish him all the best!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
