A Lotto Max Winner Scored $31 Million On Her 83 Birthday Thanks To A Ticket From Her Grandson

It's not every day you turn 83... but it's also not every day you become a Lotto Max winner!

On Thursday, March 9, Marie McCarthy of New Waterford, Nova Scotia, collected her Lotto Max cheque for a whopping $31 million, all while wearing a shirt that said, "Before You Hug Me, Don't."

According to the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, McCarthy was gifted the ticket by her grandson Jeff for her birthday.

"Jeff checked the ticket and he hollered down, 'You got all the numbers,' and I said, 'Yeah, right,'" said McCarthy. “He came running down the stairs with his phone out checking it and kept saying I had all the numbers."

She also said that she only started to process the reality of her huge win after calling the lotto corporation to validate her ticket.

"It doesn’t seem real," she said. "I never really thought about a bucket list or anything before because I never figured I’d have the money to do anything on it."

As for how she's going to treat herself, McCarthy is planning on picking up a sweet new ride in the form of a vintage Cadillac.

Seeing as how that'll only eat up a fraction of her massive windfall, she's also planning on sharing the money with her family and paying off the mortgages of "all her nieces and nephews."

And as for the future, she said she'll continue to buy lottery tickets, but only for special occasions.

The next Lotto Max draw takes place on Friday, March 10 with a $24 million jackpot available to be won.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.