RALEIGH, N.C. — For Mother's Day, Vielka Roman of Autryville got a gift she won't ever forget.
Her sister, Neris, bought her a Carolina Cash 5 ticket - her favorite game - and it hit the $1.3 million jackpot.
“I just can’t believe it,” said Roman. “I’m still in shock.”
Neris bought the ticket at Carlie C's IGA on Ceder Creek Road in Fayetteville, and gave it to her sister while out to dinner for a celebratory Mother's Day meal.
The next day, Roman and her fiance Al headed to the mountains for a short vacation. While on the road, she asked Al to check the numbers.
“I was looking at the app on the phone and I saw confetti burst,” said Al. “I had to check the numbers five times to make sure they were real.”
They turned the car around right away and headed to lottery headquarters in Raleigh to claim the prize - but not before picking up Roman's sister.
“We are very close,” said Roman. “She was the first person I called!”
“I think everyone would like to have a sister like her,” said Neris. “She has always been there for me. And when she won she said to me, ‘If I win, then you also win.’”
The jackpot of $1,354,174 was the third largest in Carolina Cash 5 history. After state and federal taxes, Roman took home $958,078. She plans to use the prize to pay off her house and her car.
“We just moved here, just bought a house,” said Roman. “It will be nice to have room to breathe. Neris can have more time to plant in her garden. We will be able to spend more time with each other as a family.”