Hurricane victims Patricia and Frank Raffa of Arden said a $325,004 Cash 5 jackpot will help them start over.
“We were living in the Virgin Islands until Hurricane Irma destroyed our home,” Frank said. “We lost everything and moved to North Carolina to be with our daughter.”
“This is a miracle,” Patricia said. “This is going to let us get a new home and pick up the pieces.”
The couple’s good fortune happened Wednesday when they stopped at the Energy Mart Store on Long Shoals Road in Arden and bought a $1 Cash 5 ticket.
“We always use our own numbers,” Patricia said. “The first numbers were my birthday, 3 and 17. I was born on St. Patrick’s Day. The luck of the Irish!”
They checked the numbers the next morning over coffee.
“The first thing I saw was that someone hit the jackpot,” Frank said. “I thought, ‘Good for them.’ When I saw that we were the ones who hit I couldn’t believe it.”
“I thought he was having a heart attack at first,” Patricia said. “I told him he needed to calm down before he dropped dead. But then he told me we hit the jackpot.”
The couple claimed the prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, they took home $229,131.
Congratulations!
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