A mother used her life savings to pay for her daughter's breast-cancer treatment. The day after her child 'rang the bell,' she won $2 million on a scratch-off.

• Geraldine Gimblet used her life savings to help pay for her daughter's cancer care.
• She soon after became the winner of a $2 million scratch-off ticket, state lottery officials said.

A Florida mother who spent her life savings to help her daughter who was diagnosed with breast cancer became a millionaire after winning a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Geraldine Gimblet of Lakeland, Florida — about 36 miles from Tampa — bought her $2 million Bonus Cashword ticket from a gas station in the city, according to the Florida Lottery. She said that when she initially tried to purchase the specific scratch-off, the clerk said there weren't any left.

"I asked him to double-check because I like the crossword games the best. He found the last one," Gimblet told lottery officials.

—Florida Lottery (@floridalottery) April 7, 2023

Gimblet collected her prize from the lottery headquarters in Tallahassee on Friday with her daughter and granddaughter by her side. She decided to take the lump-sum option of $1.6 million. The moment was a turning point for Gimblet and her family because her daughter finished her cancer treatment the day before her mom's big win.

"The day before my mom bought this ticket, I rang the bell and walked out of the hospital after completing my last treatment for breast cancer," her daughter, who was not named, told lottery officials.

"My mom had taken out her life savings to take care of me when I was sick," she said, adding that she was "just so happy for her."

Pipkin Road's Beverage Castle, which sold Gimblet the ticket, received a $2,000 bonus, according to the Florida Lottery.