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Chesapeake — Sometimes, faith can go a long way.
Earlier this month, on his daughter’s 16th birthday, Michael Worsham bought an Extreme Millions scratch-off ticket from a convenience store in Chesapeake’s Greenbrier East area. He thought he’d won $100, until he saw the additional zeros.
But it wasn’t the first time Worsham bought a winning ticket — he won $2.5 million in December 2014, right before Christmas. He used the money to take care of this family and save to send his children off to college.
This time around, the 40-year-old man was in a different position.
He’s been ailing since August 2020 and “never fully recovered,” he said during a phone interview Friday. His business started to suffer because of his health.
Worsham, who owns a plumbing company, played Virginia Lottery games for years until he became paralyzed after having a stroke in February. The doctor told him they didn’t know when he’d be able to walk again.
He couldn’t go to work for six months, which he said didn’t go over well with some of this clients. His main priority has been focusing on physical therapy.
Without the help of his partner, Heather Dickens, and her son, Worsham said he doesn’t think he’d be alive today.
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But on Aug. 18, after he scratched off his ticket, Worsham said he was humbled when he realized he’d won.
His daughter and 19-year-old son didn’t believe him. They said “it couldn’t be true.” Who wins the lottery, twice?
“I just think God knows my heart and I think he knew the kind of situation that I was in,” Worsham said. “Things got pretty hard, and I just stayed faithful.”
Between being able to walk again and winning the lottery, it felt like a second chance after all he had been through.
He had the choice of accepting the entire $1 million over 30 years, or a one-time payment of $657,030 before taxes. Worsham picked the cash option.
“I plan to take care of my family and my kids, because those are the people that stood behind me at my worst,” he said.
Sierra Jenkins, 229-462-8896, sierra.jenkins@virginiamedia.com