LELAND, N.C. (WGHP) — Wendy Hester, of Leland, said she can fulfill her longtime dream of buying a house for her family after she won a $1 million, according to an NC Education Lottery news release.

“This is a dream,” Hester said. “We can finally get our home.”

Hester bought her winning $10 VIP Platinum ticket from Fairhaven Mini Mart on Walker Street Northeast in Leland.

“Something just told me to buy it, so I did,” she said. “It was just meant to be, I think.”

Hester took the ticket home and started scratching it.

“I just kept looking at it thinking, ‘This can’t be right,’” she said. “But it was right.”

Hester said she contacted her husband as soon as she realized she had won.

“I called him and told him, ‘I just won a million dollars,’” she said.

When Hester arrived at lottery headquarters Thursday, she had a decision to make. She could choose to receive her prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000.

She chose the lump-sum amount of $600,000.

After required state and federal tax withholdings, she took home $427,503. She said in addition to buying a home, she will pay off her car as well.

“This is a godsend,” Hester said. “We really needed this.”