Man undergoes heart surgery, wins $1M prize from lottery ticket in get-well card

ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (WWLP) – If health is wealth, a Massachusetts man is doubly blessed after November heart surgery led to a $1 million lottery jackpot.

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Alexander McLeish, of Attleborough, claimed a $1 million prize (before taxes) in the Lottery’s “$5,000,000 100X Cashword” instant ticket game on November 26, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery. Alexander chose the cash option on its prize and received a one-time payment of $650,000 (before taxes).

A friend bought Alexander a get-well card with three scratch tickets after he had open-heart surgery earlier in November. When he scratched the "Your Letters" section of the winning ticket, the letters revealed his initials, A, W, M. The ticket also showed the word "heart" at the bottom row of the winning ticket.

"As if that wasn’t enough of a positive omen, the word that appeared on the bottom row of his winning puzzle was “HEART.” (Massachusetts State Lottery)

His ticket was purchased at Quickeez Beer, Wine and Convenience Store located at 60 North Main St. in Carver, where the retailer will get a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

The “$5,000,000 100X Cashword” is a $20 Massachusetts lottery scratch ticket.