Bryan Castillo Quintana of Greenville said he planned to use a $100,000 prize that he won from a $25 scratch-off ticket to help his family.

Quintana, a 21-year-old aspiring nurse, said this win will help them recover from the loss of his father, who passed away unexpectedly in 2020.

“My dad was such an integral part of our family,” Quintana said. “Now I’m just really excited that we have a form of stability in our life now.”

Quintana said his mother bought the scratch-off for him and he scratched it with her in their living room.

“When I saw it I was like, ‘Is this real?’” Quintana said. “We didn’t believe it at first, I thought it must be a mistake.”

Quintana’s lucky Extreme Cash ticket came from the Sheetz on North Memorial Drive in Greenville. He arrived at lottery headquarters Tuesday to collect his prize and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $71,017.

Quintana said he would use the money to help out his family and pay some bills.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million per year for education. For details on how $10 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Pitt County in 2021, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.