📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

Woman Wins Lottery After Clearing Life Savings For Daughter's Cancer Treatment: 'The Best Winning Lottery Story' Geraldine Gimblet of Lakeland, Florida, was in for the surprise of her life when she bought a scratch-off ticket at her local convenience store.

By Emily Rella

entrepreneur daily
Florida Lottery
Geraldine Gimblet claimed a $2 million winning prize off of a $10 scratch-off ticket.

It's a well-deserved win.

A lucky lottery winner in Lakeland, Florida, claimed a $2 million winning prize off a $10 scratch-off ticket on April 7, choosing to take her earnings in a lump sum delivery of $1.645 million.

When Geraldine Gimblet bought the scratcher, she was having a difficult time, as her daughter had just finished treatment for breast cancer.

Related: Man Scores Winning Lottery Ticket After Being Cut In Line

"The day before my mom bought this ticket, I rang the bell and walked out of the hospital after completing my last treatment for breast cancer," Gimblet's daughter told the Florida Lottery. "My mom had taken out her life savings to take care of me when I was sick. I'm just so happy for her!"

"Ringing the bell" happens when a patient completes a prescribed course of treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation.

Many took to social media to congratulate Gimblet on her big win.

Pipkin Road Beverage Castle, the convenience store where Gimblet purchased the winning ticket, will receive a $2,000 prize for selling the winning numbers.

The Florida Lottery estimates games played in the state have paid out over $85.8 billion to winners and have made over 3,500 players millionaires.

Gimblet wasn't the only one winning big in recent lottery drawings.

Earlier this month, 61-year-old Earl Lape of Iowa purchased a winning $40 million jackpot ticket — but didn't believe that he had actually won because he had ironically purchased the ticket on April 1, a.k.a. April Fools' Day.

"I thought it was a joke," Lape said, per the Associated Press.

Emily Rella

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior News Writer

Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Side Hustle

He Started a Luxury Side Hustle at Age 13 — Now the Business Earns More Than $10 Million a Year: 'People Want to Help You When You're Young'

Michael Morgan, now the owner of Iconic Watch Company, always had a passion for "old things" — and he turned it into a lucrative venture.

Data & Recovery

Transfer Data Affordably for Life with This $30 License

EaseUS Disk Copy enables easy and affordable data transfers and Windows OS migrations without needing to reinstall.

Thought Leaders

It's the End of the Entrepreneurial Era As We Know It

With the rise of advanced technologies and AI, are we losing all sense of the independent business person and entrepreneur?

Franchise

These Are the Most Diverse and Equitable Franchises in 2024

If you're looking for a diverse franchise family, these brands are a great place to start.