A teacher won almost £40,000 when her thoughtful husband bought her a scratch card to lift her spirits after a tough week.
Teacher Robyn Mejia, 39, from Thurmont, Frederick County, Maryland, USA, won £38,400 on the 'Ca$h to Go!' card.
Robyn, 39, and her husband are now planning to use their winnings as a deposit on a new home.
Maryland Lottery said: "Last month, when Robyn Mejia was having a rough week, her husband brought home a Ca$h to Go! scratch-off to try and lift her spirits.
"Not only did the purchase lift her spirits, it made their plan to buy a new house a reality.
"Robyn scratched off the instant ticket on March 12, soon after her husband brought it home from 7-Eleven #28960 in Thurmont.
"They couldn't believe their eyes when the $5 scratch-off revealed a $50,000 top prize.
"The seasoned teacher, with 18 years of experience, kept the instant ticket in a safe until she was able to come to Baltimore to claim the prize during her school system's spring break.
"Robyn said they play Lottery games 'maybe once a year'."
Mum-of-two Robyn said: "We have been saving money for a down payment on a house, thinking we would be ready by the end of the year, but now we don't have to wait!"
"My husband took the ticket to the store to scan it, just to be sure it was real.
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"We also asked my brother-in-law to come over and scan it on the Maryland Lottery app."
It comes after a woman who won £60,000 on a Lotto website has spoken out about only getting £20,000 of her winnings.
Jane Fallon, 62, won the money on website WeLoveLotto on February 2 last year.
WeLoveLotto is a website that lets customers buy lottery tickets to the UK Lotto, EuroMillions, EuroJackpot and lotteries from all around the world.
WeLoveLotto's website boasts of its "Guaranteed 100% Payout Policy", but that was little help to Jane when she won £60,000 last year.
Jane, who lives in Greater Manchester, won the cash by picking four EuroMillions HotPick numbers and then doubling up.
This means she technically won £30,000 twice.
At the time, she said WeLoveLotto congratulated her and said she had broken their record for the largest win.
Jane said: "It was all smiles and congratulations the next day, they said 'you're our biggest winner'."
The firm they said they were waiting for funds to clear from the National Lottery before paying her anything.
