New York Great-Grandmother Wins $64M Lotto Jackpot

Saturday, June 12, 2010 posted 12:04 PM EDT

When a Brooklyn, N.Y., great-grandma's palm began to itch, she did not let the sign of good fortune slip through her fingers -- she picked up a lottery ticket that scored her a $64 million jackpot, the New York Post reported Friday.

But lady luck was kindest to Mary Shammas' family, after the cancer-stricken former Wall Street receptionist chose to share the bulk of the $42 million Mega Millions lump-sum payment with her four children and a nephew.

Shammas, 73, said she was on the bus heading home after a doctor's appointment on May 25 when her left palm started itching.

"I scratched and I scratched, and I said, 'This must mean something,' " the "semi-superstitious" grandmother of seven said. According to some superstitions, an itching left palm means money is on the way.

So Shammas got off the bus and made a beeline for the Lucky Lotto store on Third Avenue, down the block from where she lives. Fortunately, she had her favorite numbers -- 5, 14, 17, 19 and 24 -- in her purse. The numbers correspond to the birthdays of family members.

When the great-grandmother of two watched the numbers pop up on TV that night, she realized she was a multi-millionaire.

"I thought I was going to faint," she said.

Shammas, who is battling lung cancer, took the smallest share -- $1.3 million after taxes -- leaving most of the cash to her two daughters, two sons and a nephew.

"I want to make my family comfortable and happy," said Shammas. The newly minted winner endearingly warbled, "We are family, me and my children and me," to the tune of Sister Sledge's "We Are Family."

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