Cancer patient’s huge lottery win in Kentucky ‘couldn’t have come at a better time’
Out of work as he underwent treatment for his cancer diagnosis, a Kentucky man’s new hobby turned out to be a fruitful one.
Frank Long, of Bowling Green, said he was “bored” and could “have gone stir crazy” if it weren’t for him playing lottery games online.
After winning $700 two times, his wife encouraged him to “goof off” on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and go big with a $20 wager in the Bank Buster Jackpot Instant Play game.
The wager won Long $234,176.97, leaving him in disbelief.
“I kept clicking on (the winning message), thinking it isn’t real,” Long said, according to lottery officials. “I didn’t believe it until I got the confirmation email from the Kentucky Lottery.”
A day later, he and his wife traveled to the Kentucky Lottery headquarters to collect a check for $166,265, after taxes.
He said the lottery win “couldn’t have come at a better time,” as he has been under financial stress since his cancer diagnosis.
“It took a lot off of me and I’m still trying to process,” he said. “This is sure shocking.”
Lottery officials said Long recently completed his last chemotherapy and radiation treatments.