Young Mother Kelsey Zachow Wins $66 Million Lottery

Kelsey Zachow, a young mother from Michigan, won the $66 million Mega Millions lottery.

Kelsey Zachow Wins $66 Million Lottery

Zachow, 24, bought the winning ticket on Friday the 13th of June, and discovered she won over a week later.

“When the clerk at the store told me I had a big winner I was positive that he was mistaken. There was a long line in the store behind me, so I decided to leave and looked the numbers up on MichiganLottery.com when I got into my car. That’s when I realized I had won the jackpot and could barely breathe,” Zachow said in a statement.

Zachow has been buying lotto tickets twice a week for the past five years and told reporters she was stunned when she found out she won.

“I jumped in my car and locked the door. I couldn’t breathe. I pulled in the driveway (at home) and got out screaming. My boyfriend thought I was in a car accident,” Zachow told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.

Zachow has decided to accept the winnings in a lump sum, which will amount to about $27 million after taxes. As for what the lucky winner plans on doing with her newfound windfall, Zachow said that, while she dreams of going on a nice vacation and buying herself a dream car, her priority will be to set up funds for her children. Zachow and her boyfriend of three years, Billy Bartlett, have a 7-month-old son, Benjamin Bartlett. Bartlett is also father to a 5-year-old girl, Evelyn Bartlett, and Zachow also plans on starting a savings fund for her 2-year-old brother, Gus Schmidlin.

Bartlett, who works in construction has been unemployed for the past year, and Zachow currently works two jobs: one as a part-time medical assistant in a hospital, and one as a part-time bartender. Zachow told reporters that she will likely quit her jobs, and buy a home and a family-friendly car. She did, however, admit to indulging in a few splurges.

“I have always wanted an electric blue Ford Mustang, and one day I will get one, but helping my family live comfortably comes first for me,” Zachow said.

When asked if she would continue to play the lottery, Zachow said she wouldn’t: “That’s just greedy, at that point.”