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4 hospital workers split $6 million lottery prize

Winning ticket sold at convenience store in British Columbia, Canada
Heewon Theresa Choi will split a $6 million lottery prize with three other co-workers after buying the lucky ticket at a convenience store in late October.
Heewon Theresa Choi will split a $6 million lottery prize with three other co-workers after buying the lucky ticket at a convenience store in late October.
Updated Nov 11, 2020

Four hospital employees in Canada will split a $6 million lottery prize that they won on Halloween, according to reports.

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The group of friends at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, British Columbia, had been trying their luck for about a year, using birth dates and anniversaries, when they matched all the winning numbers nearly two weeks ago.

Heewon Theresa Choi bought the lucky ticket for the group at a convenience store late last month, according to CNN, which cited the British Columbia Lottery.

Later in her office, she pulled out her phone to compare the winning numbers to the ticket she bought and was shocked by what she found.

»MORE: Woman finally receives lottery prize after winning ticket lost in mail

“I couldn’t believe it,” Choi told lottery officials, according to CNN. “I immediately showed it to Melanie [Nolan] who sits right next to me.”

Choi initially believed the ticket to be worth only $6,000 but soon realized that she and her friends had just become instant millionaires.

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The other two unnamed friends thought Choi was simply joshing when she shared the exciting news.

“I’ve always dreamed about being a millionaire," Choi said. "I feel like I’m in a dream.”

»MORE: 22-year-old grocery store bagger wins $70 million lottery prize

The group said it planned to have a nice dinner together but otherwise had no real plans to splurge.

Nolan said she wanted to donate a portion of her winnings to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation and perhaps go back to school, CNN reported.

About the Author

ArLuther Lee is a visual editor and occasionally covers national and world news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from The University of Florida and has been a journalist for more than 25 years.

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