"TORONTO - A part-time supermarket cashier and occasional lottery-ticket buyer choked back tears Monday as she pondered how her bank balance had gone from under $100 to more than $20 million with the luck of the draw.
An overwhelmed Bonnie Preece, 49, of London, Ont., flanked by her husband, parents and sisters, collected half of Saturday's Lotto 6-49 jackpot. "For me, I can't grasp this kind of money," she said struggling for words.
"My savings account was $80.17; I think it's going to be a little bit more than that now."
"I told her, 'Sit down and take a coffee,' " said husband William Rollings, 57, as he brushed a tear from her eye as her head poked above the oversize novelty cheque that she clutched as if her life depended on it.
She opted not to go in for her shift Sunday.
Preece said she was forced to declare bankruptcy a few years ago after her first marriage ended. She couldn't even get a credit card.
Asked if she had a message for her ex, she said simply: "Sucks to be you."
The owner of the store, Gary Coyle, praised her as a wonderful community-minded woman who worked with seniors and loved animals.
No Frills, where she dropped off treats for colleagues Monday morning, has agreed to keep her on its payroll until she decides whether she will be returning to work, a job that paid $12.30 an hour.
"I'll probably still shop there - I like my specials," she said.
However, she also said she had plans to travel, invest, help her family and friends, and finally buy a car.
"I don't want to take the bus anymore."
Preece said she was heading straight home to her rented two-bedroom apartment she moved to in January to let her two dogs out.
They will be getting a yard soon, she joked."
I'm sad it wasn't my numbers that were drawn, but this lady sounds totally deserving.
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