LANSING, October 5, 1999 — A Lexington man recently got the surprise of his life when he discovered he had won $1,000 a week for the rest of his life in the Michigan Lottery’s "Cash For Life" instant game!

The 36-year-old winner, who requested anonymity, purchased the winning ticket at Sunrise Convenience Store #22, 7434 Lakeshore Road, in Lexington.

"I bought the ticket on my way to work and scratched it off in the car," the winner said. "I was so surprised I had won! I had just been talking two days earlier with the clerk at the store about how great it would be to win cash for life. I don’t usually buy ‘Cash For Life’ tickets, but I had asked the clerk where the big winners were and she told me there was one ‘Cash For Life’ top prize left. I never actually thought I would get the winning ticket!"

The Lexington man could hardly contain his excitement over winning the prize. He immediately began calling family members to share his good news.

"I wanted to tell my wife right away, but I knew she was out shopping," he said. "I called my mom and my sister first. When my wife returned later that afternoon I asked her to meet me at work and I gave her the good news when she got there. We are all very excited about this!"

Prior to turning the winning ticket in at Michigan Lottery headquarters in Lansing, the winner kept it in a safe. The self-employed winner said he has been playing Michigan Lottery games for the past 10 years and his favorites are Michigan Lotto, The Big Game and, of course, instant games!

The lucky man, an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing and golfing, said he hasn’t had time to think about what he would like to do with his winnings yet. He added that he will likely make some investments and save for his children’s college education.

For other Lottery hopefuls, the winner offered the following words of wisdom: "You can’t win if you don’t play!"

Michigan Lottery instant tickets are available at more than 9,300 Michigan Lottery retailers statewide.

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