A North Carolina man with stage 4 cancer will get to live out his dream of traveling the world with his wife after he won $250,000 playing the lottery.
Richard Beare won the lottery after he purchased four scratch-off tickets and a Powerball ticket at a convenience store in Charlotte two weeks ago, the NC Education Lottery announced Monday.
“The fourth one was the winner,” Beare said. “When I saw that I had matching numbers, I asked her [his wife], ‘What does it mean if I match the numbers?’ She said it meant I won a prize. I told her, ‘Well, I guess we just won $250,000 then.’ She was in shock and just kept looking back and forth to me and the ticket.”
Beare—who recently received a diagnosis of stage 4 liver cancer— said winning the prize was “such a relief,” adding that the prize has given him the means to Italy with his wife.
“I want to travel while I can still enjoy myself. My wife has always wanted to go to Italy, since that’s where her descendants are from. Now I can take her,” Beare said.
The North Carolina man claimed his winnings on Monday, taking home a grand total of $176,876.
The state lottery launched its line of $5 Carolina Black tickets in March, giving players a chance to win four prizes of $250,000 each. Two prizes remain in the game.