A Jamaica woman was the big winner of the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes Thursday, but it took a while for the Prize Patrol to track her down and deliver the news.
Crystal Crawford, 47, will be receiving $5,000 a week “forever” but when the Publishers Clearing House team knocked on her door, her son Jaquawn was the only one home.
He said he knew his mom had entered the sweepstakes for years but didn’t think it was actually real. Jaquawn led the team a few blocks away to where his mother was working, at E. Sholom Inc. – Early Intervention Child Care, and her reaction was priceless.
Crawford was on the phone and began shrieking when she realized what was happening.
“Oh my god, are you serious?” Crawford asked with tears streaming down her cheeks.
The Prize Patrol explained she had won for “two forevers” and after her son Jaquawn snuck through the crowd for a warm embrace, the team from Publishers Clearing House gave her a check for $50,000 that she could “take straight to the bank” as a starter.
Through her tears, Crawford explained the prize money had come at the perfect time, She had sacrificed much to help support her mother and two sons. Crawford said she was thrilled to have the money for new teeth, sending her son to college and going on a much-needed vacation to celebrate her birthday.
And even though she won such a huge prize, Crawford vowed to enter the next sweepstakes because she enjoys it.
“Keep answering and keep the faith,” Crawford said through more joyful tears.
