Imagine winning the lottery and no one believing you. This is the incredible story of an Iowa resident who won $1 million in the Mega Millions.
Michael “Hoogie” Hoogerwerf, a 70-year-old war veteran, was riding a motorcycle when he received the news that would change his life forever.
The man won was one of the $1 million Mega Millions prize winners, but his reputation as a prankster took its toll on him when even his daughters didn’t believe him.
“I’m a bit of a joker. But I just spoke to them personally and I told them: ‘It’s true, it’s real,’ ”she said when she was collecting the coveted prize.
They even only believed him when he had the check in his hands. “I believe him now, absolutely. Or this is the best joke in the world, ”said one of her daughters at the lottery headquarters in Iowa.
Hoogerwerf won his prize in the Mega Millions drawing on June 23, and his ticket was the only one in the country to win a $1 million prize that night.
The new millionaire said that after realizing he won the lottery, he took time to speak with an accountant and a lawyer before daring to claim the million-dollar check.
For now, he is thinking of investing the money in renovating his house.
