A North Carolina man and his wife are about to embark on a trip of a lifetime thanks to winning big on a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Richard Beare of Charlotte took home the top prize of $250,000 from a $5 scratch-off game called Carolina Black.
“I recently got diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer,” said Beare in a statement from the NC Education Lottery. “I want to travel while I can still enjoy myself. My wife has always wanted to go to Italy, since that’s where her descendants are from. Now I can take her.”
For Richard Beare of Charlotte, a $250,000 Carolina Black win means he can take his wife on a dream vacation to Italy. “My wife has always wanted to go to Italy, since that’s where her descendants are from,” he said. “Now I can take her.” Enjoy your trip! https://t.co/kFWuE7KBie pic.twitter.com/qprFEqSd9J
— NC Education Lottery (@nclottery) April 2, 2019
Beare stopped at a convenience store two weeks ago to purchase a Powerball ticket his wife wanted. While inside the store, he also decided to test his luck on some scratch-off tickets.
“I rarely play the lottery,” said Beare. “I only stopped because my wife asked me to get a Powerball ticket since the jackpot was so high.”
Beare, a retired automotive mechanic, stood inside the store and scratched off the four tickets he bought. He couldn’t believe what he saw as he scratched off the last ticket, so he asked the clerk to double check it.
“When I saw that I had matching numbers, I asked her, ‘What does it mean if I match the numbers?’ She said it meant I won a prize,” said Beare.
“I told her, ‘Well, I guess we just won $250,000 then.’ She was in shock and just kept looking back and forth to me and the ticket.”
Beare claimed his prize on Monday at the North Carolina lottery headquarters in Raleigh and took home $176,876 after taxes.
The Carolina Black lottery ticket launched early March and has four top prizes of $250,000. Two top prizes remain, according to lotto officials.
In a similar story last year, an 87-year-old man from New Jersey, who broke his hip while on his way to the store to buy a lottery ticket, ended up winning a share of a $1 million prize after hospital staff took pity on him.
Earl Livingston, 87, was going out to buy a lottery ticket when he fell, only for things to take a turn for the richer.
Posted by Today Show on Friday, October 26, 2018
While in the hospital, Earl Livingston shared his story with staff at Jefferson Stratford Hospital, who asked him whether he wanted to be included in the hospital’s lottery pool.
Here's the winning ticket! Get the full story tonight from Joyce Evans FOX 29. #StratfordMillionairesClub
Posted by Jefferson Health – New Jersey on Wednesday, October 24, 2018
“He told them he was on his way to buy a lottery ticket and he was disappointed that he didn’t get it,” Livingston’s niece, Bobbie Mickle, told NBC10. “So they said, ‘Why don’t you go in with us? We’re also buying a lottery ticket.’”
Livingston then contributed an amount with 141 hospital staff in the pool. They ended up winning $1 million, with each participant taking home about $4,500 after taxes.
“I want to thank everybody,” Livingston told NBC10. “I appreciate very much and God bless you and have a happy, happy long life!”
Congratulations to the newly formed "Stratford Millionaires Club!" 141 employees and one patient from Jefferson Health -…
Posted by Jefferson Health on Thursday, October 25, 2018
Joe Devine, president of Jefferson Health New Jersey, praised his staff for going beyond their duties to help the elderly patient.
“This is a story of good fortune, but also of great people,” he told Today. “When this gentleman expressed his disappointment around not having the chance to get a lottery ticket, our staff stepped in to brighten up his day. The team here goes above and beyond for their patients every day. This time, it happened to net an excellent reward for all!”
Epoch Times reporter Jocelyn Neo contributed to this article.