Palos Heights woman claims $393 million Mega Millions jackpot

When Patricia Busking flipped through a Sun-Times earlier this month, she received the news of a lifetime: she was going to be a multi-millionaire.

She glanced at her lottery ticket, then checked the Aug. 12 newspaper for the numbers for the Mega Millions Jackpot — racked up to $393 million, the largest jackpot in Illinois history.

“It was surreal,” Busking said at a news conference on Friday where she accepted a ceremonial check at the Thompson Center. “It was an out-of-body experience when I saw all those numbers that matched.”

The retired health care worker and her husband, Joe, were home the morning after the drawing when he heard on the radio that the winning ticket for the huge jackpot had been sold in Palos Heights, where the couple has lived for the last 13 years.

That’s when Busking grabbed the paper.

Busking matched all six numbers–23-33-53-56-58-Mega Ball 06–in the drawing, and selected the cash option for a one-time payment of $246 million.

A day before, Busking and her husband, Joe, purchased a $5 quick-pick ticket at Nick’s Barbecue, 12658 S. Harlem Ave., in Palos Heights, along with a pair of steak sandwiches. Nick’s Barbecue will receive a $500,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Busking is not a consistent lottery player — she has only played when the stakes are “really high.” She attributes her win to “being in the right place and the right time,” and wants to share the money with her family, friends and favorite charities.

“Jackpots like this, with our lottery tagline, remind us that ‘anything’s possible,’” said Greg Smith, director of the Illinois Lottery.

Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire