A lottery ticket worth $1 million sat in John Haydu’s wallet for several months before he remembered to check it.
When he finally did while at FreshCo in Maple Ridge, it sent the store into a frenzy.
“I usually don’t carry my wallet, but I happened to have it with me and there was a lotto booth at the entrance,” Haydu explained.
“I decided to check my tickets, and my first ticket was the winner. I didn’t even shop! It caused quite the buzz at FreshCo.”
The winning ticket was from the Lotto Max draw on May 24, 2024, and Haydu quickly called his daughters to share the life-changing news once he left the store.
“None of them answered so I texted them to call me right away,” he said. “When they called me, they thought I was joking so I showed them a picture of the printout!”
With his retirement planned for the end of the month, the win couldn’t come at a better time for the Maple Ridge resident.
His newfound wealth will pay off his mortgage, but Haydu also has some travel plans as he waltzes into retirement a rich man.
“I’ve always wanted to do a cruise, maybe Alaska,” he noted. “I am also a big Buffalo Bills fan so I would love to go watch a game in their home stadium.”
He envisions a lot of extra time with his family and grandkids in the days, weeks, months and years ahead, and also wants to start a family tradition of an annual trip.
“It’s absolutely unbelievable,” Haydu said of winning the lottery. “I’m speechless.”
The winning ticket was purchased at the Save-On-Foods on London Avenue in Mission.
