The holiday season took an even more festive turn for one Canadian couple after a massive lottery win.
Heather and Peter Bryan live in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and the couple was at home when they made a surprising discovery. Heather had been wrapping presents and watching Christmas movies with their daughter when Peter showed up looking shocked.
“We were watching the movie, and he came and stood in front of us. I looked at his face. His face was ashen,” recalled Heather. “His eyes were glassy, and I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ And he said, ‘We won the lottery!’ I said, ‘What? How much?’ He said, ‘All of it.’”
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The Bryans matched all six winning numbers during the Lotto 6/49 draw on December 21, 2024. After splitting the $5 million prize with a winner in Western Canada, the couple is now $2.5 million richer.
Peter had decided to their ticket when he found out one of the winning tickets was sold in their area.
“I had seen that someone in Dartmouth won the money, so I thought I better go check my ticket. My coat was downstairs where I knew my ticket was, so I went down to grab it,” he recalled.
“As I was going down, I saw the first few numbers on my phone, and then when I grabbed the ticket and looked, I saw those numbers on the first line. I stopped and said, ‘I can’t.’ So, I opened the Atlantic Lottery mobile scanner to scan the ticket.”
Heather said they “freaked out” when they found out about their win.
“My daughter and I said, ‘We should be jumping around,’ so then we jumped around,” she said, recalling the happy moment.
Heather and Peter Bryan (Atlantic Lottery)
Peter had always envisioned having something witty to say if he won the lottery. But reality turned out rather different.
“I basically sat down for an hour,” Peter said with a laugh.
While claiming their prize, the couple said they’ll use their windfall to support family, travel, and give back to their community. The financial security also gives them peace of mind.
“You know, one of the things that comes with this win is the unburdening of a particular worry… everybody’s got something to worry about, but money is not one thing we have to worry about now,” Peter stated.
The couple said that their multimillion-dollar win during the Christmas season was especially thrilling. And in keeping with the holiday spirit, they kept their life-changing ticket in a cookie tin for safekeeping.
The Bryans purchased their lucky ticket at Sobey’s in Cole Harbour.