THUNDER BAY — Things hadn't gone particularly well for Monique Thomas the day she decided to check her lottery ticket, but her mood then changed in a hurry.
The Thunder Bay woman, who works in finance, had picked up an OLG game card at the grocery store with no thought of winning.
"I just like knowing the purchase of my tickets helps fund other winners. I like to help others," she said.
Later, while having lunch at the office she decided to play the Instant Neon Casino Game ticket, and learned it was worth $250,000.
"When I saw the prize amount, I nearly fell off my chair," she recalled. "It had been a horrible day, and this really changed my trajectory."
Thomas said her hand was shaking so much, she had trouble signing the ticket to redeem it.
"It took about 40 minutes for me to be able to return to the store."
She said she will never forget the emotional moment when she shared the news days later with her fiancé.
Thomas plans to put her winnings toward the purchase of a new house, and adding to her savings.
Fellow Thunder Bay resident Thomas Inman also has a good reason to celebrate.
The retiree recently cashed in an Instant Gold Pursuit game ticket worth $100,000.
He had left the ticket on his coffee table for a few weeks without checking it.
But after hearing there were some unclaimed top prizes, he decided to take it back to the store where he'd bought it.
"When I saw the 'big winner' message, I went numb and froze," he said.
Thomas plans to use the money for home upgrades and to do some travelling.
