SEATTLE — It’s quite the Mother’s Day gift: A Seattle man who won $1 million on a Lottery scratch ticket says he will use the money to take care of his 83-year-old mom.
Michael McManus, a night-shift supervisor at a local cargo company, has been taking care of his mother for the past six years after she suffered a stroke.
His winnings of $750,000, what’s left after federal taxes, will be used to keep his mother, Maryjane White — or “Honey,” as her sons call her — in her condominium, instead of sending her to a nursing home.
“I have learned how to love and appreciate what my mother means to me, by taking care of her for the last six years,” McManus said Thursday. “We’ll be able to fulfill our mission, which is taking care of our mother.”
McManus said it has always been his and his brother’s goal to keep Honey at her home, but they were worried the expenses of in-home nursing care would force them to sell the condominium. The check from the state on Wednesday washed those worries away, in addition to making this year’s Mother’s Day special.
“It will be the best one of our lives,” McManus said.
McManus is the 582nd person to win $1 million or more since the Washington State Lottery began in 1982, said Jacque Coe, a Lottery spokeswoman.
The 56-year-old McManus claimed the prize after a week of consulting with financial advisers. He bought the winning Washington Millionaire II Scratch from a neighborhood mini-mart and scratched it on the spot. It was the second winning ticket he had bought that day, with the first one bagging him 25 bucks.
The stroke left Honey with short-term memory loss and crippled her ability to speak. Single and with no kids, McManus decided to move in with her to take care of her. In that time, McManus said he has learned about the hard work his mother must have faced when she raised four boys, and it has changed his perspective.
“Ten years ago, if I had won it, I would have bought a Ferrari, grabbed a hot chick, and driven to Caesar’s Palace and try to win more, and end up losing it all,” McManus said. “My message is love your mother and God will take care of you.”
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