A 76-year-old woman from Pennsylvania discovered a good deed might have cost her $2,500,000.
Mildred Simoneriluto donated some of her clothing to the Vietnam Veterans of America.
The group provides outreach programs and services to veterans.
She likely did not think much about the jacket until last year.
Two weeks earlier, in May 2024, she had bought a lottery ticket at a grocery store in Murrysville.
That ticket turned out to be a winner.
The prize amounted to $2,500,000.
When Mildred learned she had won, she searched frantically.
She then realized she had left the winning slip in the pocket of the jacket she had given to the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Mildred Simoneriluto has tried to rectify the situation with no luck (6abc Philadelphia).
Mildred said she put the ticket in the jacket pocket so she would not forget it.
Her plan did not work out.
Pennsylvania lottery officials told Mildred she must present the physical ticket in person to claim the jackpot.
The deadline to claim the prize is May 8, so time is running out.
She returned to the grocery store where she bought the ticket several times.
Store employees were unable to help her retrieve the jacket or the ticket.
Mildred remembers the ticket numbers she played.
She remembers the numbers on her slip: 14, 22, 33, 35, and 38.
With few options left, Mildred asked: “What else can I do? Cry out loud and hope that something will happen positive on my end?”
Let us hope karma treats Mildred kindly after a donation that proved far more valuable than she expected.