Can you imagine the Christmas they had?
When Warren Wong's phone rang early in the morning on Christmas Eve, he didn't recognize the number and didn't pick up.
Then his girlfriend's phone rang. She did answer.
On the other end of the line was Judi Cosar, a friend of Wong's mom.
Cosar and Wong's mother live in Kamloops. Wong lives in Vancouver.
"I said, 'It's an emergency, I have to talk to Warren,'" Cosar said, recounting the exciting phone call.
Wong thought Cosar must have had bad news about his mom's health.
He was wrong.
Cosar and Wong had been playing the lottery together for more than two years — and they had just struck paydirt.
A Lotto 6/49 ticket, purchased by Cosar at the Northhills Centre Shopper's Drug Mart on Dec. 8, won them just over a half-million dollars — $500,003, to be exact — when the four Extra numbers matched all four Extra numbers drawn.
Cosar said she found out about the jackpot while checking her tickets at the same Shopper's a few days before Christmas.
"The security guy said I put it under six times," she said.
"And, I think some foul language came out of my mouth — like, 'Holy crap, holy crap.'"
Her share of $250,001.50 will make Cosar's life easier.
"I'm going to pay some of the mortgage down and hopefully get a washing machine or a new stove," she said.
Wong said he's going to use his share of the winnings to help his mother.
"I plan to buy my mom a place up here," he said.
"If it's not for her, I'm not even part of this."
COMMENTS
Let's keep comments:
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters.
We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.