Maryland teacher wins $50K off lottery ticket husband bought to lift her spirits

Odds you win the lottery are slim

What are the odds you win the lottery? You're more likely to be struck by lightning.

FREDERICK, Md. - A Maryland husband’s small gesture has paid off in a big way: The $5 scratch-off ticket he bought to cheer up his wife Robyn Mejia was worth $50,000.

The couple told Maryland Lottery they play "maybe once a year," but he brought it home for Mejia when the veteran elementary school teacher was having a rough week.

It won the top prize.

Robyn Mejia of Frederick celebrates her $50,000 Ca$h to Go! scratch-off win. (Maryland Lottery)

They were so shocked, they scanned it at a store "just to be sure it was real," then had a family member come over and scan the ticket again on the lottery app.

Now, the family is $50,000 closer to buying a new house.

"We have been saving money for a down payment on a house, thinking we would be ready by the end of the year," said the 39-year-old mother of two. "But now, we don’t have to wait!"

The 7-Eleven in Thurston, Maryland that sold the winning ticket will also receive a $500 prize.