Father of 7 hits million dollar home run

&#8220All it takes is a dollar and a dream.”
For Achille Heywood of St. Albans, that dollar turned into a million when he scratched off the winning numbers on his &#8220Subway Series” ticket on Friday, July 28.
The 66-year-old father of seven and grandfather of 17 had been playing the New York Lottery's &#8220Scratch N Match” two to three times per week and had won nominal amounts, &#8220but they were small [in comparison],” he said.
Heywood, a driver for the U.S. Postal Service, said that the Eighth Street Mini-Mart in Astoria, where he usually purchases his tickets, was out of &#8220Scratch N Match” the day he won.
&#8220I wasn't going to play the ticket, but the store didn't have what I wanted,” Heywood told The Queens Courier. &#8220So I let the clerk pick.”
And he said he's glad he did.
Coming forward with his daughter to claim his prize on August 2, Heywood joined three other winners whose jackpots totaled $8 million.
&#8220New Yorkers are on a hot streak with the New York Lottery this summer,” said New York Lottery Director Nancy Palumbo. &#8220We've been giving away millions of dollars to New Yorkers all summer long and we are on track to have more single millionaires claim this year than ever before.”
Planning to retire soon, Heywood will receive his prize in 20 annual installments of $50,000, less required tax withholdings.
He said that he will enjoy a family vacation with his windfall.
&#8220My life hasn’t changed,” he said. &#8220I'm still the same person, I still plan to go to work, and I will continue to play the Lottery.”
The Subway Series scratch-off ticket, launched in partnership with Major League Baseball, is a baseball-themed ticket featuring the New York Mets and the New York Yankees.