$10 million winner found 10 months later

PERTH, Australia, May 28 (UPI) -- An Australian woman said she did not realize she had a lottery ticket worth more than $10 million until 10 months after the drawing.

The 30-year-old Perth university student said her father gave her the ticket as a gift in July 2008 and she forgot about the lottery after putting the ticket in a drawer, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Thursday.

"I woke up this morning worried about our finances," said the woman, who asked not to be named. "Something made me think to check the tickets and I thought that if I win something, then I could help Mum and Dad out."

The woman, who asked not to be named, said she initially thought the ticket was only worth about $10,000, but she soon discovered it was worth more than $10 million and for months had perplexed lottery officials as the country's largest unclaimed prize.