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If the caffeine wasn’t already enough, checking their lottery ticket sure woke up Mark and Colleen Wihlidal earlier this month.
Mark was at home enjoying a morning cup of Joe when he decided to check the couple’s ticket from the Lotto 6/49 draw on Aug. 3.
“I drink a lot of coffee and I could feel the shock coming on,” Mark said of his initial reaction to the couple’s win. “It’s a good thing I was sitting down. Shock and coffee should not go together.”
The shock was courtesy of the life-changing $500,000 Extra prize that the Wihlidals won from the draw.
After realizing what they had won, Mark immediately shared the news with Colleen.
“I thought he was joking when he showed me the winning ticket,” recalled Colleen. “I thought, ‘oh my gosh!’ It’s so exciting and surreal.”
The couple plans to use some of the prize money for home improvements and travel, while their kids will also receive a share.
They said they’re excited about the “very comfortable retirement” that the six-figure prize will allow them to enjoy.
Mark and Colleen purchased the winning ticket from the Safeway on Fortune Drive in Kamloops.