New millionaire was about to lose house when he won

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Winning $10 million means different things for different people. For William Mason, it means a chance to get his life back.

Greg Agnew/Times & Transcript

William Mason has good reason to smile - in fact, 10 million good reasons.

Mason, a resident of Saint John, was laid off from his job as a delivery driver in November and has been finding it tough to make ends meet.

With his unemployment insurance running out and a stack of overdue bills, he was on the verge of losing his house.

That is, until yesterday.

Standing in Moncton with a cheque for more than $10 million in winnings from the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, it was easy to see that things are about to change for Mason and his family.

Joined by his girlfriend, five children and three grandchildren, he said yesterday's news was a bit hard to swallow.

"When I first checked the number and I happened to notice I had every number I pretty well went through the roof," Mason said. "I did my happy dance. It's going to mean big changes. A new life for all of us."

He said at first he wasn't sure he was seeing right and got his girlfriend to check the numbers online. Sure enough, they were right. Even then it took some convincing before the rest of his family would believe him.

"I didn't believe him," said his daughter Natasha. "I thought he called to tell me somebody died."

Natasha said the news came as a relief to her.

"It was like an angel shined down and said 'Here you go,'" she said. "People win and they're usually OK, but he was in the gutter. No one deserves it more."

Now, after visiting the Atlantic Lottery office in Moncton to collect the check, Mason has some thinking to do.

So far he doesn't have any immediate ideas for the money, but said he could use a new vehicle.

His kids on the other hand, have other plans.

"I would like him to go on the trip of his lifetime that he's always talked about," Natasha said.

Mason and his family have often dreamed about going to Egypt, but has never had the funds to do so. Natasha said it's the history behind the country that's the biggest draw, adding she would love to see the pyramids.

However, nothing is carved in stone just yet. Mason said before any decisions are made he's going to sit down with the family.

"We'll sit down and talk about it then go from there," he said.

In the meantime, Mason said he's going to continue to play the lottery, something he's been doing now for over 20 years.

"It's become somewhat of a habit," he said. "It's not something I'm going to stop."