
Novice scratch-off player Lilian Hernandez, right, won $50,000 on an instant ticket purchased at the suggestion of her aunt, Norma Hernandez.
Silver Spring mother of two selected game suggested by Lottery-loving aunt
Lady Luck delivered a $50,000 gift to a Montgomery County mom on Christmas Day when she and her family drove to the grocery store for snacks.
“It was the best Christmas ever,” said Lilian Hernandez of Silver Spring. She claimed her prize Monday at Lottery headquarters accompanied by the aunt who suggested she try her luck with a $5 Deluxe Crossword 9th Edition scratch-off.
Members of her extended family had decided that day to hop into two vehicles and drive to Safeway in Wheaton for snacks for the kids. “We thought it would be a fun thing to do,” she recalled. Lilian’s aunt, Norma Hernandez, was along for the ride and is a loyal Lottery player who has won prizes of $25 to $50 numerous times. When the group arrived at the grocery, Lilian bought one of the crossword-themed games at Norma’s suggestion. She scratched it off and checked for a win using the store scanner.
“I’ve never played before,” Lilian said. “We scanned it and I saw $50 and I said, ‘Oh, kids, you can get what you want.’” Then, the Lottery novice and her aunt scanned the scratch-off a second time to verify the lucky win and realized the prize was actually $50,000.
“I was in disbelief,” she said. “It’s the biggest blessing we’ve had.”
A store clerk quietly told Lilian to sign the back of the scratch-off, take it home, keep it safe and make an appointment to claim the prize as soon as possible. Lilian, her aunt and the kids, who were none the wiser about the top-prize scratch-off win, left the grocery and went to a nearby convenience store to buy snacks before hurrying home. After they arrived, she phoned family members in El Salvador to share her fabulous news. The call woke up her brother, who is a Maryland resident but was visiting the El Salvador side of the family for the holidays. Fully awake once he heard about her $50,000 win, the brother directed her to keep the scratch-off safe until she claimed the prize.
Lilian works at an emergency veterinary hospital and plans to share news of her windfall with coworkers this week. Until they dropped off the paperwork to claim the prize, she and her aunt were still questioning whether the scratch-off win was real. As for the prize, Lilian said she will pay bills with the funds, pay down her home mortgage and help family members financially as needed.
The 9th edition of the Deluxe Crossword scratch-off went on sale in September with eight top prizes of $50,000 and 14 second-tier prizes of $10,000. The game is loaded with good fortune, including prizes ranging from $5 to $1,000. Also having a reason to celebrate is the Montgomery County grocery. For its role in selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off, the Safeway at 11201 Georgia Avenue in Wheaton will receive a $500 Lottery bonus.