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Man 'feeling lucky' after daughter's birth wins $25,000 lottery prize

By Ben Hooper
A Kansas man said the birth of his daughter had him "feeling so lucky" that he bought a lottery ticket -- and won $25,000. Photo courtesy of the Kansas Lottery
A Kansas man said the birth of his daughter had him "feeling so lucky" that he bought a lottery ticket -- and won $25,000. Photo courtesy of the Kansas Lottery

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Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A Kansas man said the birth of his child had him "feeling lucky," so when he went out to get a snack for his fiancee he bought a lottery ticket worth $25,000.

Ryan Mercia, 33, of Stilwell, told Kansas Lottery officials his fiancee, Jesse, gave birth to the couple's first child, Lexi, on Saturday, and the birth had him feeling lucky when he went out to get Jesse a snack on Monday,.

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"On Monday morning, the doctor told Jesse that she could have solid food, and she asked me to go get her a donut from the store" Mercia said. "I was feeling so lucky, we just had a baby, it's almost Christmas, and I saw that sparkly ticket at the register, and I thought I may as well give it a shot."

The gamble paid off, with Mercia winning a $25,000 jackpot from the $5 Holiday Treasures ticket.

"I scratched the ticket off in the store, and couldn't believe it. I thought I had read it wrong. It wasn't until the cashier scanned the ticket that I realized I had won big," Mercia said. "It truly couldn't have come at a better time. We just moved back to Kansas from California, and we just had a baby. This is truly a blessing."

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Mercia said his luck failed when it came to one thing -- "I was so excited I left without getting my fiancé her donut. But she wasn't upset for long!" he said.

Mercia said he and Jesse plan to use the winnings to pay off their debt, buy Christmas presents and start a college fund for Lexi.

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