Let’s assume that you just hit the right numbers and have the winning lottery in your hands. Feels more like a dream, right? We have a ghost of a chance of turning this dream into reality. The lottery win is a fluke and if good luck knocks on the door, the life-changing prize money enters the home. That is what happened with Marie Holmes, a single mother who never imagined that one lottery ticket will turn her life and how! As serendipitous as the lottery was for her, it brought an unexpected series of events with it. Marie Holmes’ story reveals the darker side of this joy.
A Struggling Mom
A 26-year-old single mother, Marie Holmes from Shallotte, North Carolina was having a tough time juggling between two jobs and her four children - Brayden, Charisma, Andrea, and Ebony. She did not have any financial stability. The bad news did not end here for this struggling mom as her son, Brayden was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Holmes left her job to give full attention to her son who needed proper care. Fortunately, she received one good news amid all this chaos.
Trying Her Luck
Marie Holmes had never planned to pick a lottery ticket but that day she felt like she should try her luck at one. The North Carolina Powerball jackpot had a huge amount in store, $564 million to be precise, in February 2015! She grabbed her ticket from the convenience store of a gas station and headed home with just hope. She lived in a trailer with her four kids but always wished for a better home to raise her children.
That Day Carried Good Luck
Turns out, her wish was about to be fulfilled. The winning combination was announced and there it was, right in her hands. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I saw the ticket and checked it,” Holmes revealed her emotions at that moment. Her luck was on her side that day as she was looking at the winning numbers and the ticket belonged to her. Her story had just started and the twists were approaching.
Prize Money
Holmes had just won one-third of the jackpot amount that totals up to $188 million. There were two more winners and so, the prize money was distributed equally. This mom had a life-changing amount in front of her and she had to make some choices now. When a person wins such a big prize in the lottery, there is an entire process that needs to be followed before you can declare yourself a genuine winner. She had no clue about what lied ahead.
The Options
The lottery board of the state verifies the information followed by some essential paperwork. A lot of patience is required. She was still absorbing the big news and could not anticipate the next thing that fate had planned for her. Holmes had to pick one option – she could either take home the whole reward of $127 million (after tax deduction) at once or receive the money in installments over 30 years.
Claiming The Win
It was time to make a decision that would have an impact on the rest of her life. Holmes opted for receiving $127 million all at once to sweep away all her problems and gain financial stability. It was obviously a dream come true moment and her excitement might have swayed her decision. She imagined her life to be a smooth ride from now on. However, there was a long way to go.
Expressing Gratitude
When the winners were announced publicly, Holmes garnered a lot of attention because of her present situation and the way she expressed her emotions. It was a life-changing day for her and she could not be more thankful for this. “Winning [Powerball jackpot] still ‘doesn’t feel real. It’s not going to change the person that I am, but it’s going to change our situation. It’s going to be very fortunate. I am humbled and grateful for the opportunities this has created for my family,” she expressed.
Plans In The Head
With all that money in her account, Holmes was looking at a brighter future. This win turned her life. But one needs to be attentive while handling such huge prize money or else, things can go downhill in no time. She shared in an interview, “All the struggle that I ever went through, it was all for them. I want them to understand that money doesn’t change you, but it can help you.” She admitted that she won’t let the money change her but her actions were proving otherwise.
Taking Attentive Steps
“So they don’t have to worry about debt, none of that. They can go to college, all on me.” Holmes had some good plans for her kids. She had to take every step cautiously as $127 million is a big amount and one wrong decision can take away all of it. She had plans but the execution needed wise thoughts. She could not rush anything. However, without taking advice from a professional on handling this money, there were chances that she diverted from the track and had troubles awaiting her.
Keeping It In Low-Light
After her incredible Powerball win, people were talking about her and how she deserves the reward. Her friends and family supported her and said that they trust Holmes with the money. They even revealed that she is not someone who would let this win influence her negatively. She needed to stay in low-light as you never know how the world would approach you in such a sensitive time. Despite being careful, Holmes was in news again but this time, it was for a different reason.
Something For The Church
For Holmes, the church was an important part of her life. She grew up being taught about religion and her beliefs were really strong. When she won the lottery, she vowed to give one-tenth of the amount to her church. She always relied on pastor Kevin Matthews when her life gave her challenges. She knew that giving back to the church was one of the best ways to express her gratitude. But who knew that her good intentions behind this donation would lead her towards a trap!
An Astonishing Amount
Marie Holmes promised a donation of $1.5 million to the church and that is truly an unbelievable amount. No one had ever made such a great donation before. Although one is expected to keep it private and make an anonymous donation, Holmes could not do so as in North Carolina, the names are published according to the laws. Now, everyone knew about the startling amount that she had just given back to the church and this gave rise to some problems involving the pastor.
Money Tied With Issues
Holmes had an agreement with Matthews about the way she is going to make the benefaction. She had pledged to give $1.5 million to the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church that she considered her “home church” and handed over $700,000 immediately. The church appreciated her for such a wonderful act of kindness. Holmes was happy to be able to give back to the community. However, this happiness was just short-lived as Matthews was not trusting this woman anymore. He made a few shocking statements in the media.
Some Bold Claims
Kevin Matthews had some big claims to make all pointing towards Holmes. He told the press that Holmes is not giving the remaining amount of $700,000 as promised by her. He sued Holmes for $10 million. They had no written contract about this but Matthews still stood firm on his decision and revealed that he had made a few verbal deals including buying a piece of land and donating some money to ministries. He could not complete those commitments until he gets the money he was promised.
Sliding In Emotion
“Because of the emotional distress and mental stress, they put me through, I had to start taking more medicine for anxiety and depression due to this situation.” He justified his claim with such statements to make people sympathize with him and tell them the real side of the benefaction that brought her under the good light for a while. He added, “I didn’t see this coming and I think it was a third party that came along and told her not to do this.”
Served With A Lawsuit
The pastor filed a lawsuit against Holmes after blaming her for the failed financial commitments publicly. He had a lot to say about the “deception”. “The bottom line… I just want her to do what she said she was going to do. I want peace and to do what God told me to do. I want her to do what she said she was going to do. I really feel like a warrior for Christ and people need to be accountable.” One win and Holmes’ life turned upside down.
What People Said
When all this was going down and things were getting complex, people came in with many opinions and Kevin Matthews did not have many supporters. In fact, he was being criticized for his words and all that he said about Holmes. His image in his town went down in no time. People took to Facebook to express their views about him and the entire mess that was created. Holmes would have never thought that she would become the center of some controversy after being portrayed as a deserving winner.
The Positive Changes
Holmes always wanted to build a beautiful home with the money she had won. She has been living in a trailer for a long time with her four kids. She shelled out $350,000 to build a new house with a backyard. For one moment, she thought she had all that she could ever ask for. But her world would come crashing down when she would see herself all over the news with her privacy being invaded. There were more revelations and her personal life was all over the place.
Mom’s Confession
Holmes was interviewed by various channels about her win and all that happened after that. But during one of the interviews in which she sat with her mom, Fontella, something unexpected came to light. Those numbers were picked by Fontella and she revealed the thought behind selecting those digits. Holmes was not aware of any of this and it was news for her too.
Meaningful Numbers
“I kept dreaming about your brother that we lost. His birthday, he was the third child, he’d have been 25 that year. Those were the numbers,” shared Fontella. Holmes was surprised to know this story and asked her, “So you picked the numbers?” Fontella admitted the truth and said that she just wanted her to be better for herself and the babies.
The Love-Life Crisis
Holmes had witnessed a lot from good to worst in a matter of time. All the bliss she experienced after she saw those numbers matching her ticket vanished after a while. The way she indulged in the splurge and did not follow any financial advice made people rethink if she actually deserved all that money. She spent a lot of money to bail out Lamarr McDow, her youngest daughter’s father and that suspicious act raised many eyebrows.
Intervention From The Past
Holmes revealed that she is still in love with him and so, she kept bailing him out. This man was in trouble for selling drugs and when Holmes won the lottery, he took a sigh of relief. This mom was taking impulsive steps in the situation and that was leading to more trouble. This wasn’t just a matter of bailing him out, the expenses that followed were extremely questionable!
Good Days Took A Break
The expenses just kept piling up and with her boyfriend, McDow nicknamed “Hot Sauce” in and out of jail continuously just added to the burden. She was judged by many for being in a relationship with a drug dealer. Moreover, she squandered $21 million in total to keep her boyfriend out of prison. If that wasn’t enough, she bought him some expensive gifts too including a watch and a car. Now, the entire focus shifted towards “Hot Sauce” and he had some answers to give.
Defending The Actions
“We are a couple, and I am the father of her youngest child. This is what people do for each other. She has the money and she can do what she wants with it…If I had that money then I would do the same for her. People are just jealous because of how much she won and people want to see me locked in jail,” McDow said. He made sure that everyone stopped accusing him and his girlfriend. But another insane twist was awaiting this family.
Dramatic Claims
McDow further proclaimed, “So many people are going on that she has paid $21m to get me out of jail, but that ain’t true. It is just 10 percent.” The drama was taking its strangest form. All that had happened in Marie’s life till now has been terrible and instead of having a “happily ever after”, she was experiencing the worst times when it came to her family and love life. Where was this headed?
Towards A Fiasco
A lot was going on between her and McDow that was already creating a storm in their lives as the comments were flowing in from all around. Another bad news popped up! A woman showed up and disclosed that McDow was dating her too. She called him “unfaithful” and explained it all to Marie. Later, this woman revealed that Holmes paid her to stay away from McDow. Could this get any more complicated?
Falling Apart
Nothing was making sense in her life during that time. She had all this money but no solace. McDow was again arrested and this time he was imprisoned for seven years for being involved in worse crimes. This could have given Holmes a hint that she should step away from this immature relationship. However, she decided to wait around for her boyfriend. That should have been the last thing to worry about as there was still a lot that she needed to take care of.
A Fake Win?
Another rumor started making rounds after Holmes was declared the lottery win publicly. The word on the street was that Holmes had stolen the winning lottery ticket. Her family members brought some shocking details to light. They said that the ticket was actually owned by their family’s 90-year-old matriarch grandmother. They further accused Marie of stealing the ticket and signing it to prove that it belonged to her. This baseless rumor was not hitting the ground anytime soon as someone kept trying to prove it right.
A Video Surfaced
One of Marie’s cousins uploaded a video in which she makes some serious claims about the way Holmes duped her family for winning the lottery. Apart from calling her a thief, she threw more dirt on her by revealing that she was in a relationship with the husband of another family member. She went on to bad-mouth Holmes in that video. Her cousin shared that Marie offered a car to that family member in return for getting rid of her husband. This had become a serious family drama now.
Mother-Daughter Relationship
Holmes had never discussed her relationship with her mother but when she saw her family falling apart, she mustered the courage to speak about what she had gone through while growing up. “I never understood why I was the only child that always got slapped in the face… I questioned, like, if anybody would every genuinely be there for me if I don’t even have my own mom there,” she shared during an interview. Holmes had a distressing childhood and now, she demanded answers to all her questions.
Facing The Reckless Decisions
Holmes had a chat with the popular TV personality Iyanla Vanzant who visited her new house to feel the energy residing there. Iyanla made her realize the impact of the impulsive decisions she took after becoming the lotto winner. She had to come to terms with her mistakes and own up to them. She explained to her that in this process of lending a helping hand to people around her including her boyfriend, she had deeply hurt herself.
The Root Cause
Marie Holmes had witnessed the unexpected in a matter of few months. From being elated to feeling rapped amid negativity, this mother had the craziest journey as a lottery winner. Iyanla had a simple explanation for this. “A lot of this doesn’t have anything to do with money. It has to do with broken people, with broken hearts with broken minds… that leads to choices and decisions and consequences. Money, never solves a money problem,” Iyanla shared.
One Wrong Move
According to the experts, opting for the choice of receiving all the money in one go is beneficial as it can lead to a higher value after some time if invested sensibly. She might have taken the correct decision of taking the whole reward of $127 million at once but the choices that followed turned out to be unfortunate for her. Some imprudent and unwise moves took her back to a struggling life. All she needed now was peace of mind and finally, she came up with an idea.
Marie Holmes Foundation
Holmes took a thoughtful step in 2016 and started a charitable organization named “Marie Holmes Foundation”. She put in a lot of effort while starting this project that focuses on building a better future for the ones in need. She made an investment of $10 million to this foundation. That was definitely a great initiative on her part. Also, Holmes donated $680,000 to her church. She wanted to rise above all the drama and do something good for society.
The Virtuous Thought
Holmes had given a great thought before launching a project that helps the disadvantaged. The foundation takes many steps towards bringing light to the world of the underprivileged. They host holiday giveaways to collect donations. She makes sure that the families who are suffering are provided with all that they need and connects with them on a personal level as they are going through what Holmes once experienced in her life. She performed good deeds and utilized her wealth for something positive.
Lessons Learnt
Holmes fell to the ground eventually after reaching high up - all because of her poor decision-making. Instead of focusing on her children, she indulged in negligent behavior. The sudden arrival of riches tends to influence people in harmful ways. But she learned her lessons, took the right path, and wiped all the dirt thrown at her. Maybe, we are given the lessons in different ways and this is what fell into Marie’s luck.
