Every time the doorbell rang when I was growing up, I knew without a doubt that it would be the prize crew from Publishers Clearing House on my doorstep with a big, fat check, and that I’d be able to keep myself in LEGO, Barbies and Pixie Sticks for a lifetime. But the actual odds of winning PCH’s “Forever” Prize — $5,000 per week for life — are about 1 in 1.215 billion.* As such, the doorbell usually heralded the Fuller Brush Man or one of my neighborhood pals, and I had to find money in the lemonade stand.
So just imagine the joy of a real, actual, living, breathing human who beat those seemingly insurmountable odds and had the real Prize Crew show up on his doorstep, complete with balloons, a giant check and smiling faces.
FOX 2 Now in Illinois says the 26-year-old man is the youngest person to ever win the Forever Prize, a fact that may have been lost on the fella during the hubbub. Of course, when confronted with 20 people, a ginormous check and a camera crew, anyone would be stunned.
His sister was on cue, however, screaming: “Are you kidding me?”
Nope. The man had ordered World War II magazine recently and entered the sweepstakes, and said he didn’t think he’d ever win. His mother had plenty to say, noting that her son had lost his job last year.
“It’s just that we live payday to payday,” she explained.
First things first: He’ll be buying a new car. Then, might we suggest, a large frame for that life-changing check?
*According to the official rules, as seen here.
Illinois mans wins Publishers Clearing House “Forever Prize” [FOX 2 Now]
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on Consumerist.