A cash-strapped retiree who lives in a dilapidated mobile home visited the California Lottery District Office last Friday and was in a much better financial situation when she left the premises thanks to a $1,079,602 US Powerball win.
Tessie Pavia's ticket matched five of the numbers drawn in the April 23, 2014, Powerball drawing. If she'd got the Powerball number as well she would have been considerably richer, but she told lottery officials she was happy with things the way they were.
"I think I would have died if the bonus one was there," Pavia said.
Keeping up with the repairs on her home has proved an impossible task for the seventy-seven-year-old grandmother. The roof leaks in when it rains, the floor is sinking, and there is also some termite damage, but she has not been able to afford the repairs. She said her children have tried to help out where they can, but they have been unable to afford the costly repairs either.
Pavia's Powerball winnings will make a big difference to her life, but she does not attribute her changing circumstances to good luck.
"It's a blessing from the Lord," she said. "For the rest of my life, I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to be a burden to my family."
She now intends to help out her family and make a donation to her church.
US Powerball drawing take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 22:59 (Eastern Time). The estimated jackpot for the Saturday, May 3, 2014 Powerball drawing is $50 Million.
