Fall River —When Phillip Brunelle won $1,000 on a Massachusetts State Lottery ticket, little did he know that would be just the beginning of his good fortune early Sunday morning.
The 29-year-old professional photographer of this city bought the ticket about 2 a.m. from the 24-hour Tedeschi convenience store on East Main Street, along with several other items.
When he got home, he forgot about the Billion Dollar Bonanza scratch ticket at the bottom of the bag and almost threw it away.
After scratching it and realizing he won $1,000, he awoke his partner, Jeffrey Brunelle.
“I just needed to tell someone,” he said.
He then returned to the store to report his winning status.
While there, he figured he'd shell out $20 for a $1,000,000 Money Mania scratch ticket. After all, he had just won $1,000.
“It’s not going to hurt my wallet,” he said.
When he scratched the ticket with his “lucky penny,” low and behold, he had won again — this time for the amount for which the game is named — $1 million.
“I was excited about $1,000,” he said. “This was unbelievable.”
Another customer, Lisa Reynolds, told The Herald News that after he scratched the second ticket, “He started breathing really heavy and kept saying 'no way ... no way ... no way!'"
She said another patron asked him if he won another $1,000, and he replied, “No, I think I just won even more, I think I won a million dollars.”
Reynolds said she and the customer approached Brunelle and verified that the numbers matched and the prize was $1 million.
“I didn’t even sleep last night,” Brunelle reported from his home Sunday afternoon.
Asked what he intended to do with the money, he replied, “Obviously, family comes first.”
So he plans on helping his 49-year-old mother, Linda Daggett of Brockton, who has cerebral palsy. Her car broke down several months ago and, being on a fixed income, she is unable to afford another one, he said.
“I’m going to try to help her out, get her a new car or newer car, so she does not have to depend on everyone else to do everything for her,” he said. “So she can have some dignity. Without her, I wouldn’t be here.”
Brunelle is a self-employed professional photographer who primarily shoots weddings.
He said he would not quit his job because he loves it so much.
“Now, I’ll consider opening a studio or two locally,” he said. “I want to get my name established out there.”
That was something he certainly accomplished Sunday. Video and print media from throughout the region were calling him for his story.
At Tedeschi's, two signs hang over the counter, telling customers that he is a $1,000 and $1 million lottery ticket winner.
Brunelle grew up in Middleboro and graduated from Middleboro High School. He moved to this area about 10 years ago, attracted by the inexpensive rental rates, he said.
He has a photo journalism degree from New England School of Photography.
He worked for the Hilton Hotel chain as a corporate sales manager before suffering a serious back injury from an accident in which a section of concrete fell on him at a home.
That was a time of misfortune. On Sunday, Phillip Brunelle was basking in good fortune.
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