Jackpot no mystery to winner
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NEW YORK — John Massaro lost his wife in a car accident a year ago, and his teenage daughter is recovering from cancer. So when the father of three found out he had won $1 million in the New York Lotto, it was as if someone was giving him a helping hand.
“I believe it’s her up there watching over the kids,” Massaro said Friday after receiving a symbolic check from New York Lottery officials before the start of a New York Islanders game at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y.
Massaro, 51, of Nesconset, N.Y., said he had a list of things to do, including getting dental work for his three children and buying a car for his 17-year-old daughter, Jessica, whose cancer is in remission.
He said he expected that the money -- about $33,000 a year after taxes for 20 years -- would be spent as quickly as it came in. He said he considered it a godsend.
“Handling the three teenagers and being widowed is a little rough,” said Massaro, who works as a mason.
He added that he was so shocked when he won that he didn’t want to let go of his ticket.
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