Years ago, she emptied out her piggy bank to donate to charity. Now, in a sign that karma exists, a Canadian teenager has become a multi-millionaire in a huge lottery win.
Juliette Lamour, 18, bought her first ever lottery ticket in January – and incredibly took home the top prize of $CA48 million ($A51 million).
She is the youngest person to ever win the jackpot in Canada.
Ms Lamour, from Sault Ste Marie in Ontario, was on her way back from buying ice cream for her grandfather on January 7 when she decided to chance it by purchasing a lottery ticket.
“I had just turned 18 and my grandfather suggested I buy a lottery ticket for fun,” Ms Lamour said at a media conference last Friday.
“I called him on the phone asking what kind of ice cream he wanted. And he said to me, ‘You just turned 18, go buy a lotto ticket, test your luck.’ So I did.”
She later learned the news of her incredible win while she was at work in a local store.
When she opened the lottery app on her phone, music started to play to indicate she was a “big winner”.
“My colleague fell to his knees in disbelief,” she said.
“He was screaming, in fact everyone was screaming that I had won $CA48 million [$A51 million].
“At first, I didn’t understand what was going on. I couldn’t take in the news. We made quite a scene in the store that day.”
As reality set in, the 18-year-old couldn’t wait to tell her parents. But she found herself sobbing in disbelief over the phone and they couldn’t understand what she was saying.
“I knew I couldn‘t concentrate on my work anymore and my boss told me to go home, but my mum wanted me to finish my day,” she said.
“My colleagues shouted, ‘Come and get her,’ and my parents finally came.”
Ms Lamour carried out a generous act many years ago which could explain her good luck run.
When she was just five years old, she and her sister Sophie donated all their money towards the Canadian Red Cross to help raise money for the Haitian earthquake in 2010.
The sisters donated $CA61.38 at the time.
She plans to study to become a doctor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine before coming back to practice in Northern Ontario.
But her winnings should be in safe hands in the meantime – her father happens to be a financial planner.