Orlando Lewis of Charlotte credits a set of lucky numbers for winning a $453,302 Cash 5 jackpot.

“They were just random numbers I had in my mind,” Lewis said. “I started playing them in January and told myself that I’d keep playing them till they hit.”

The hospital cook’s determination paid off. On Monday, Oct. 2, his lucky numbers came up, beating odds of one in 749,398.

The next morning, Lewis made his usual stop at the Food Mart on Central Avenue in Charlotte.

“The clerk came rushing up to me saying that they sold a winning ticket,” Lewis said. “In my heart I knew it was mine. When I checked my ticket I saw that I really did win.”

Lewis claimed his prize Thursday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $314,815. He plans to use the money to help his family.

Ticket sales from draw games like Cash 5 make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $600 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties click on the “For Education” section of the lottery’s website.