She left for coffee and came home with $800K!

What began as a quiet Thursday morning coffee run quickly turned into a life-changing moment for one lucky supporter, with an $800,000 surprise waiting on the other end of the phone. 

Lorraine* was in the car with her sister and friends when she received the call that changed everything. A VIP supporter since 2021, she was about to learn she had won Deaf Lottery 226.

“I was just stunned. Yeah, that would be the best word. It just didn’t feel real.” 

On the other end of the line, Paul Stockwell, Head of Fundraising and Operations, shared the news: Lorraine had won an incredible $800,000, plus a $5,000 Book Buyer’s Prize. 

What followed was a very different kind of café conversation.

“After the call, we just laughed all afternoon, talking about all the things I could do with the money. That’s when it really started to feel real.” 

One of the first things on Lorraine’s list is something she’s been putting off for years: a new car. 

“I was always going to get a new car, but because I haven’t been well for a while, it just kept getting put off. Now the plan is to get one a lot sooner. My current car is 14 years old, so it’s definitely time for a change.”

She also hopes to use part of her winnings to travel back to London to visit her daughter. 

“I went a couple of years ago and it was incredible. I really miss it.” 

Telling her daughter the news, however, took a little convincing. 

“When I first told her about the win, she didn’t believe me at all. She said, ‘It’s a scam, Mum!’ But then she went through my emails and saw I’d been buying tickets over the years. Once she saw it matched the winning ticket, she was thrilled. Very, very happy for me.”

Lorraine’s said her daughter has significant hearing loss and uses a cochlear implant, which was one of the reasons she decided to become a supporter. 

“My daughter uses spoken communication rather than signing, but that’s still why I wanted to support the Deaf Lottery. 

“Every year I write out quite a few cheques to charities, so they’ll probably be getting a bit more this time. Because I’m in my 80s, I don’t really have to worry about paying bills and those sorts of things anymore, but I’ve always wanted to give back to others.”

From an ordinary coffee run to an extraordinary win, Lorraine’s story is one she never expected – but will never forget.

From everyone at the Deaf Lottery, we wish Lorraine and her family all the very best for the future.

If you’d like to support the Deaf Lottery, grab your tickets today. Who knows –  you could be the next winner we call on your coffee run!

*Name changed to protect anonymity.