A North Carolina nurse who works in the coronavirus unit at a long-term care facility said she is still in shock after winning a $1 million lottery prize.
Terri Watkins, a nurse at a facility in Durham, said she was blessed after winning the contest this week, according to the North Carolina Education Lottery. She said she had been praying for help as COVID-19 continues to affect North Carolina, where it has infected more than 638,000 people, killing 7,687 of them.
“I thought that it was a scam. I was a little upset actually!” Watkins recalled. “I thought that it was not real, couldn’t be real. It’s still something that I really don’t believe, I’m still in some shock here.”
The lottery said she was chosen from more than half a million entries in the state’s final $300,000,000 Supreme Riches second-chance drawing on Wednesday.
“I’m a nurse, and I work in the COVID unit at a long-term care facility,” Watkins said. “Just seeing some of the things that I’ve had to see, I am very thankful. I had been praying for something to help me with this situation. It really is a great thing. I’m very blessed.”
Watkins could have received the winnings in 20 annual disbursements of $50,000, but instead she claimed it as a lump sum of $600,000, and after taxes, brought home $424,500.
“I’m just gonna take it slow and easy and figure out what I’m gonna do,” she explained about her plans for the windfall. “I would love a new home, but I’ve just got to take time and put it in the right place.”
