It was a get-well gift he will never forget.
A man recovering from surgery at a Pennsylvania hospital won a $7 million lottery from a scratch-off ticket sent inside a get-well card, the Associated Press reported.
"I scratched the ticket and it was a good thing I was already sitting down because I was shocked," said Joseph Amorese, the new 46-year-old millionaire who claimed his prize Wednesday morning.
"I was- and still am- in complete disbelief."
Amorese, of Easton, Pennsylvania, was recovering from hernia surgery when he opened the card sent from his father, who usually sends him lottery tickets, The Journal News reported. Amused by the gift, the patient set to work on the "$7,000,000 Golden Ticket" game.
He called his wife when he realized he was an instant winner.
"I said, 'Honey, I think we won $7 million.' And there was silence on the other end for a long time," Amorese told the AP. "She was too stunned to talk."
Still in shock, the couple, who were married less than a year ago, verified the ticket on the Internet and contacted lottery customer service the next day, according to The Journal News.
After finally verifying their good fortune, Amorese claimed his winnings at a lottery store in New City, New York, where his father purchased the ticket.
Amorese, who works for Verizon, doesn't plan on quitting his job but he would like to take his family on vacation.
"Maybe Bora Bora," he told The Journal News laughing. "We haven't decided yet."
