It took Burnaby’s Saeid Ebrahimi a few weeks to check his lottery tickets, but when he did, he discovered he was $5-million richer after winning the Lotto 6/49 jackpot from the February 22, 2020 draw.
Ebrahimi has been preoccupied over the last few weeks, keeping a close eye on family currently in Iran, one of the focal points of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I call my family in Iran every day,” says Ebrahimi. “My parents, three brothers, their wives and children are all back home and I know it’s been very bad over there.”
When Ebrahimi finally checked his tickets at the lottery kiosk in Burnaby’s Brentwood Mall last Friday, March 13, he discovered he had won $5 million. The first call was to his wife, who works at a Lower Mainland hospital.
“Obviously she’s been very busy, so she didn’t pick up my phone call,” says Ebrahimi. “So I sent her some messages and pictures of the $5-million validation slip and she called me back later to make sure I wasn’t joking.”
Thanks to the life-changing win, Ebrahimi and his wife are excited for a family reunion – when the time is right.
“I hope one day we can have my family come to visit here so we can celebrate our good health. But right now, I’m hoping for our doctors, nurses, and health care workers all to be safe, that we all co-operate so we can get through this.”
