Man Rescues Lottery Ticket from Garbage and Ends Up Winning $25,000 a Year for Life
Everyone has accidentally thrown away something important at least once. From receipts to retainers to treasured birthday cards, a huge variety of treasures can wind up in the trash when they were never meant to be there.
But how many people have accidentally thrown away the chance to receive $25,000 a year?
That’s exactly what happened to Jeff Heinig. The Michigan man had played Lucky For Life with his usual numbers but threw his ticket out after getting the date of the drawing mixed up, according to Inside Edition.
“I was back on the website Friday, and the Lucky for Life numbers caught my eye,” he said.
“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.”
Heinig knew he had to find the missing ticket that had won him $25,000 per year for the rest of his life.
“I searched high and low for the ticket, but couldn’t find it anywhere until I went rifling through the trash,” he said during a media conference.
He called his wife as soon as he found the ticket to share the good news.
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The winnings were especially meaningful to the Heinigs in light of Jeff’s recent medical issues.
“We’ve had a rough start to the year,” Wendy Heinig told Inside Edition.
“Earlier this year, Jeff had a massive heart attack and actually died three times before they saved his life.”
The Heinigs are excited to have more time to spend together, engaging in family activities and appreciating the sweet moments they have with one another.
“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,” Wendy Heinig said.
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