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Gloria MackenzieAmerican, lottery winner
Country:
 USA |
Content:
American citizen, lottery winner
Gloria Mackenzie, an 84-year-old resident of Florida, unexpectedly became a lottery winner of the Powerball. She had been closely following the lottery draw and immediately knew that she had won. However, Mackenzie decided to claim her prize only three weeks after the draw. It took her some time to comprehend what had happened and consult with a lawyer. Some might think that she could have claimed the prize without the help of a specialist, but Mackenzie wanted to be cautious. After all, it's not every day that one becomes a multimillionaire with $590 million. The prize won by Gloria Mackenzie is currently considered the highest lottery prize ever won by a single participant. Interestingly, Mackenzie became this "one participant" almost by chance, or to be more precise, thanks to someone else's kindness.
Kindness and unexpected luck
On May 18th, Mackenzie went to buy a ticket, but unfortunately, all the available cash registers were occupied. However, she managed to skip the queue because Mindy Crandell, who was standing in line, generously offered to let the elderly woman buy a ticket first. The salesperson was ready to assist Mindy first, but she openly declared that she wanted to let Mackenzie go ahead.
Crandell only fully appreciated the consequences of her kindness after the draw when Mackenzie was shown on television. Mindy's 10-year-old daughter, Mallory, recognized the elderly lady from the line. However, Crandell does not regret giving away such a substantial amount of money with her own hands. Of course, $590 million would not have been superfluous for her, but Mindy believes that it could not have happened any other way. She even believes that there must be a higher meaning behind the fact that the half-billion-dollar prize went to someone else. Mallory Crandell agrees with her mother and hopes that Mackenzie will find happiness with her winnings. She also adds that it is better to be polite than wealthy. Many will likely question the fairness of the latter statement, especially considering that "wealth" in this case is measured in hundreds of millions of dollars. However, if Crandell is not going to suffer over her lost wealth, it is not appropriate for others to count Gloria Mackenzie's money either.
