A Michigan man threw out something extremely valuable in the garbage on Wednesday, thinking it was worthless - a winning $25,000 a year for life lotto ticket.
By an amazing twist of fate the winner, Jeff Heinig from the town of Harrison went back on the lotto's official website on Friday and realised he had checked his numbers against the wrong drawing.
"I was back on the website Friday, and the Lucky For Life numbers caught my eye. They were the numbers I always play, and that's when it hit me that I had checked my ticket before the drawing had happened. I searched high and low for the ticket, but couldn't find it anywhere until I went rifling through the trash," he said at a press conference Monday.
Jeff who is facing some health challenges couldn't wait to call his wife Wendy with the good news. At the news conference she added that the money will make life easier and more comfortable for them both.
"We've had a rough start to the year," she said. "Earlier this year, Jeff had a massive heart attack and actually died three times before they saved his life. We're all so fortunate to still have him with us, and winning this prize means we can enjoy doing some fun things together that we couldn't have afforded before."
Jeffs jackpot numbers, 3, 4, 8, 16, and 27 were drawn on Thursday.
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