Man who had open-heart surgery wins a $1 million lottery prize after the ticket came in a get-well card – CNN

Alexander McLeish received three scratch-off tickets in a get-well card from a friend earlier this month, according to a news release from the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission.

This Maryland woman just claimed her third $50,000 lottery prizeThis Maryland woman just claimed her third $50,000 lottery prize

As McLeish scratched off the first three letters on the crossword lottery ticket, his first glimpse of good luck was revealing his initials: A, W and M. As he continued matching letters to words on the lottery ticket, for a game called $5,000,000 100X Cashword, he revealed the word “heart” on the bottom row of the puzzle.

The man wound up winning the second top prize for the game — $1 million. There are only 10 total prize winners for that amount on the $20 lottery ticket. The top prize is $5 million.
The first sign of good luck on the prize-winning ticket were McLeish's initials as the first three letters.The first sign of good luck on the prize-winning ticket were McLeish's initials as the first three letters.

This wasn’t the first time McLeish won on a ticket given to him by his friend. Several years ago, he won $1,000 on a lottery ticket his friend gave him for his birthday, according to lottery officials.

McLeish claimed his $1 million prize Friday and chose the cash option. Before taxes, he received a one-time payment of $650,000, according to the news release.

No word on whether he will give his friend any of the prize money.

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