Yemane Abreha of Holly Springs struggled to believe it at first when he won the $100,000 grand prize in a second-chance drawing.

“I was like, ‘Is this real,’” he recalled.

Abreha then realized, after calling to confirm, that he actually did win the grand prize.

“It was a really happy moment,” he said.

Abreha won his prize in the second of two Mega Millions Second Chance drawings. There were 638,541 total entries in the Oct. 8 drawing.

He arrived at lottery headquarters Friday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,750.

Abreha plans to use his winnings to remodel his house and help out his family.

Players got a second chance with their Mega Millions tickets by scanning them into their lottery accounts where they were automatically entered into the drawing. The drawing had one top prize of $100,000, five $10,000 prizes, and 35 winners of $2,500.

The N.C. Education Lottery’s Play Smart™ program helps North Carolinians make the most of their lottery play. Visit ncplaysmart.com to learn about all things lottery, from tips on how odds work to how to enter bonus drawings.