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"My cousin purchased the ticket for the white elephant gift exchange at our family Christmas party," Hickox said. "My dad actually won the ticket in the gift exchange, and I won the gift he brought, a flashlight. He wanted his gift back, so we made an agreement after the game to trade gifts."
The trade turned out to be a good move for Hickox.
"I scratched the ticket off on Christmas, which also happens to be my birthday, and thought I won $50,000," she recalled. "I downloaded the Michigan Lottery app and created an account to check the ticket on the app scanner. I was expecting to see $50,000, so when I saw the extra zero, I was speechless! I couldn't comprehend that I'd just won $500,000!"
Hickox said she will use her winnings to buy a new car, invest, and share with her family -- including her dad and the cousin who bought the ticket.