BRAINTREE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts hospital worker has claimed the $758.7 million Powerball jackpot, and says she always thought winning the lottery was “a pipe dream.”
Fifty-three-year-old Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee said she was leaving work at night with a Chicopee firefighter, and they were discussing Powerball.
That’s when she realized she won. She said he followed her home to make sure she got there safely.
Wanczyk says the first thing she wants to do is sit back and relax. She says she has called work to let them know she won’t be back.
Wanczyk has two adult children, a daughter and a son.
Lottery officials said she chose to take a lump sum payment of $480 million, or $336 million after taxes.
It’s the largest grand prize won by a single lottery ticket in U.S. history.