Winning lottery prize turned this North Carolina woman into a zombie, she says

In what may be a first, a North Carolina woman says winning big in the N.C. Education Lottery made her feel like a zombie.

Rosa Fiame of Jacksonville says she was instantly dazed when lottery officials phoned to inform her she won a “second-chance” promotion that allows losing tickets to be re-considered.

Her prize was $500,000.

“I was walking around like a zombie,” Fiame said in a news release. “I couldn’t sleep for days. I was so happy.”

Her family was not as subdued, and spent a lot of time “screaming and celebrating and laughing,” she says.

Fiame picked up her money at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Dec. 9, and the prize amounted to $358,750 after state and federal tax withholdings.

Her “second chance” came on a $50 ticket in the $10 Million Spectacular game, and lottery officials report there were 1.2 million total entries in the Dec. 3 drawing.

Fiame says her plan is to share a chunk of the money with 21 charities she traditionally donates to during the holidays. Those donations will be doubled this year, she says.

“I got to. ... Every time you win, you got to share,” she said in a video posted on YouTube. “It’s not your money to keep. You got to share.”

Jacksonville is about a 120-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Winning lottery prize turned this North Carolina woman into a zombie, she says."