By Ben Hooper, UPI
A Saskatchewan grandmother is more than $700,000 richer thanks to a lucky birthday present from her granddaughter.
Ethel Clarkson of Regina said she doesn't like to ask her relatives to buy her anything for her birthday, so she kept it simple when her granddaughter asked for gift ideas.
"My grand-daughter asked me what I wanted for my birthday," Clarkson said. "I didn't want to ask for anything, so I suggested 'maybe a lottery ticket.'"
"I certainly wasn't expecting this!" she said.
The Lotto Max ticket, bearing the numbers 4-7-13-19-42-45-46, ended up winning one of 53 MaxMillions jackpots in the Oct. 19 drawing, earning Clarkson a $764,420.80 prize.
"It's so surreal," she said. "I jumped up and down, started screaming and crying as I was so excited -- but I didn't think it actually could be real."
Clarkson said her plans for the money include buying a new car and paying off her debt.
"It's a dream to be debt free and to be able to help my family," she said.
