'It's A Miracle!' Great-Grandmother Wins $10 Million On Christmas Eve

RALEIGH, N.C. (CBS Local) — A great-grandmother in North Carolina struck it rich on Christmas Eve, declaring "It's a miracle!"

Dorothy Martin said she was sitting in a convenience store parking lot when the numbers on her "Extreme Millions" scratch-off lottery ticket started adding up to a $10 million win.

"I started at the bottom," Martin said, according to a press release from the North Carolina Education Lottery. "I didn't match any of the numbers. When I got to the top I closed my eyes and scratched. When I opened them I couldn't believe it. I just thought, 'Could this be real?'"

Martin had purchased the ticket at Number Three Handy Mart in tiny Grover, North Carolina. She went back inside and asked the clerk to double-check the ticket.

The ticket was real and Martin claimed her prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. She chose the lump sum and took home $4,230,069 after required state and federal tax withholdings.

"It's a Christmas Eve miracle," Martin said. "I still can't believe this is happening."

Martin plans to use some of the money to buy a new house. She also plans to help her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.