 Meghan and John Cameron celebrate with their 2-month-old daughter after John claimed a $50,000 Powerball prize. |
Pennsylvania couple able to replenish savings after paying infant daughter’s medical bills
An Oxford, Pa., couple was feeling grateful after winning a $50,000 Powerball prize last week. It was beginner’s luck for John Cameron, as he landed a big prize the very first time he played the multi-state jackpot game.
Cameron works in Maryland as a farrier – a specialist who trims and balances horses’ hooves and places shoes on their feet. He was sitting in his car sipping coffee he had just purchased at the Wawa store at 3530 Conowingo Road in Hickory when the thought popped into his head to buy a Lottery ticket.
The 29-year-old lucky winner said he and his wife Megan were discussing Powerball about a week earlier.
“It’s funny because she said that you can’t win, if you don’t play,” said John.
So, he went back into the Harford County store and used the Lottery vending machine to buy two Powerball tickets for the Dec. 9 drawing. John and Megan didn’t watch the drawing that night and didn’t realize their win until the next day when John checked the winning numbers on his phone. He then found out the amount of his prize by visiting mdlottery.com.
Megan, a 26-year-old labor and delivery nurse, was working when John sent her a text message to tell her they had won $50,000.
“I told him, ‘You can’t text something like that!’” she said with a smile.
The couple, who are new parents of a 2-month old, are especially grateful to win the prize. Their daughter has spina bifida and required an intricate operation while Meghan was only 24 weeks pregnant.
“They had to fix her back,” said a teary-eyed Megan. “If not, she wouldn’t have been able to use her legs.”
But, thanks to modern medical science, the operation was a success.
“She is doing amazing,” Megan said.
Although, they now have a healthy baby girl, medical bills have exhausted the couple’s savings. John and Megan said they feel fortunate that the $50,000 prize will help them build up their savings again. They also plan to put money toward their daughter’s college fund.