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Dearborn Heights Man Thought He Was Dreaming When He Won $25K for Life

Matt Swindall of Dearborn Heights didn’t quite believe it when he checked his email in the early hours of Aug. 20 and saw that he won $25,000 a year for…

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Matt Swindall of Dearborn Heights didn't quite believe it when he checked his email in the early hours of Aug. 20 and saw that he won $25,000 a year for life in the Michigan Lottery. He actually thought he was dreaming.

"I got up early to get ready to head up north for a friends weekend trip," Swindall said in a press release. "I checked my email right when I got up and had one from the Lottery that was different than anything I had ever gotten."

He added, "I logged in to my account, and really didn’t believe what I was seeing. I rubbed my eyes over and over, but the screen kept showing the same thing: I had won $25,000 a year for life.

He wife didn't believe him at first, either.

"I woke my wife up and told her we’d hit the Lottery. Of course, she didn’t believe me, so I showed her my phone. She told me I was dreaming and went back to sleep!" he said.

Matt purchased the Michigan Lottery’s Lucky For Life ticket on the Michigan Lottery website for the drawing that took place the night before. He matched all five white balls: 11, 12, 16, 38, and 48.

Swindall had the option of taking $25,000 a year for life or a one-time payment of $390,000, and he took the latter. He'll put it towards a new home, savings for his kid's college education and general savings.

"Winning is pretty amazing and life-changing for us," he said. "It’s going to put us at ease financially for a long time to come."

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.