A New York man has died just weeks after winning an incredible amount of money on the lottery.
WBNG reports Donald Savastano, of Sidney, won $1 million on the New York Lottery's Merry Millionaire ticket a couple of weeks ago.
“I saw the Merry Millionaire ticket and figured, ‘Why not?'" Savastano said at the time. "This is gonna change our lives, to tell you the truth."
The 51-year-old man had some exciting plans for the money.
“Being a self-employed carpenter, I didn’t really have a plan for retirement,” Savastano explained. “The money will help with that. I don’t have any other extravagant plans. I’ll buy a new truck, pay off some debt and invest for the future.”
Savastano also planned to visit the doctor, according to Danielle Scott, the cashier who sold him the ticket.
"He was self-employed, he didn't have insurance, he hadn't been feeling good for a while I guess, and when he got the money he went in to the doctor," Scott explained. "He had a friend come and talk to me, and they told me that he was very sick and that he had brain and lung cancer and that he was in the hospital and they didn't think he was gonna make it."
Savastano died last Friday.
"I just hope that they can use the money and can give him the best," Scott said. "He was a good person, he deserved it. I just wish he had more time with it."
According to his obituary, Savastano was born in Queens, New York and grew up on Long Island. He became a carpenter after learning the trade from his father as a child.
"He was known for his high-quality work and perfectionism. He always tried to reach out and help those he could by teaching them 'the right way to do things,'" the obituary reads, in part.
He is survived by his girlfriend, his mother and four brothers.