‘Oh, dang, this is real.’ How a Charlotte-area woman learned she hit vaccine lottery jackpot
Natalie Everett was going about her normal Thursday last week when she received a phone call “out of the blue” from someone claiming to be a state health official who told her she’d won $1 million in the COVID-19 vaccine lottery
“I didn’t believe a word,” the Pineville resident told the Observer on Friday. “I was like ‘I’ll play along,’ but I didn’t believe it.”
Good thing she played along.
The 55-year-old learned on July 8 that she’d won the second Your Shot at A Million Summer Cash drawing, but she didn’t believe it until Tuesday when she spoke with someone from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services who had all her information.
“I was like ‘oh, dang, this is real,’” Everett said. “That’s when all my doubt went out the window.”
She’s $1 million richer — before taxes — but Everett said she’s keeping her job with a health care company and isn’t booking a trip to Hawaii anytime soon.
“I’m a person that’s going to sit back and be very sensible,” she said. “I don’t want to lose this money and the opportunity that will change my life.”
Jessica Klima, 16, of Greensboro won the second $125,000 Summer Cash 4 College scholarship for post-secondary education, the state also announced Thursday.
Surviving COVID-19
Everett received her first dose of the Moderna vaccine on May 7, but she began developing COVID-19 symptoms on May 23.
“I was shocked when I got it,” she said. “I was extremely careful.”
The Moderna vaccine is 50.8% effective 14 days after the initial dose, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Everett said she doesn’t think she developed COVID-19 from the vaccine, and instead blames her going out to dinner with a friend on May 20 — three days before feeling sick. Her second shot was scheduled for June 2, she said.
“I never want it again,” Everett said. “I still wear masks.”
Having that first dose did prevent her from being hospitalized or even dying, she said.
‘I’ve never won anything in my life’
Everett’s pharmacist told her about the vaccination lottery on the same day she got her first dose, she said.
“I’ve never won anything in my life, so it just went right out of my mind,” she said.
Originally from Texas, Everett moved to Pineville 23 years ago for work.
For the past 12 years, Everett has worked from home, she said. She currently works for Centene, a multinational health care company.
“I’ve been like a little hermit for the past 12 years,” she said. “You just kind of fall into that isolation when you work from home.”
What about the money?
After receiving her winnings in Raleigh on Thursday, Everett said she immediately put the money in the bank.
“I made sure to do that before we even left,” she said.
The cashier at the bank couldn’t deposit the money because it was over her limit, so a second approval was needed, Everett said.
Now that it’s in her bank account, Everett said she’s going to pay off bills, buy a new car, save the remainder for retirement. She also plans to hire a financial advisor because the money is “just too tempting.”
She followed doc’s advice
Everett was initially reserved about getting any vaccine because they were experimental, but she became more open to getting the shot when her favorite doctor recommended it.
“If he had not recommended it, I would have not gotten the vaccine,” she said.
Others who might be hesitant about getting vaccinated should look at resources that don’t just support their feelings so they can make well-informed decisions, Everett said.
“When I make decisions in life, I don’t need to just look at something that I know is going to support what I think is right,” she said. “You have to ask yourself, do you really want to take that chance of getting COVID-19?”
NC vaccine lottery drawings
Who’s eligible? North Carolinians 18 and older who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are automatically entered into four drawings for a chance to win $1 million in cash. In addition, four North Carolinians ages 12 to 17 will win a $125,000 529 account for post-secondary education. Anyone vaccinated on or after June 10 is entered twice for each drawing.
When are the drawings? Drawings started June 23 and are held every other Wednesday until Aug. 4. The winner announced the following week. The next drawing is scheduled for July 21.
First winners: Shelly Wyramon, a 45-year-old teacher from Winston-Salem, was the first person to win $1 million for getting a COVID-19 vaccination in North Carolina. Vania Martinez, a 14-year-old from Wilmington, won the $125,000 post-secondary scholarship.
This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 5:03 PM with the headline "‘Oh, dang, this is real.’ How a Charlotte-area woman learned she hit vaccine lottery jackpot."
