Your Questions Answered by a PCH $1 Million Winner!

Hello PCH friends!

We’ve had a great year so far at Publishers Clearing House, but one of our favorite moments was when we had a visit from recent $1 Million winner Rosemary Cella and her family!  Rosemary, her husband Dan (plus lots of kids and grandkids) all came to PCH Headquarters on February 20^th to meet our PCH employees and share a bit with us about their experience!

You may remember that back on February 17^th, we asked you “What questions would you ask a PCH Winner?” We asked you to give us your questions, and boy did you come through!  And as promised, we picked our favorites and asked them to the Cella family! Here are their answers…

Question: “Did PCH contact you before they arrived?

The answer from the Cella’s: No, they absolutely did not! They tried to keep it a secret before they came to our front door. They tracked me down from Florida to our second house on Long Island. They kept it up until they got personal contact with us.

Question: What was the first week like after the Prize Patrol left?

The answer from the Cella’s: I don’t know, I think I was in shock. I’m just coming out of it now! We got phone calls from friends, relatives, seeing if it was true or not. Asking if we had to buy lots of magazines, if we were ordering every time.

Question: Obviously a purchase doesn’t increase your chances of winning. What did you tell them?

The answer from the Cella’s: We would occasionally buy an item, but [the PCH Prize Patrol] made true believers out of us when they showed up at our doorstep.

Question: Another PCH Blog reader wondered, “How long have you been entering?”The answer from the Cella’s: I say ten years or maybe a little more. Yeah, I’d say ten years.

Question: Do you enter through the mail or online?

The answer from the Cella’s: We’ve done both, online or in the mail. Any time you see an envelope, you need to enter! Or the computer, we spend a lot of time entering contests.

Question: How did you keep your hopes up as you kept entering?

The answer from the Cella’s: I just kept doing it. How long does it take, ten minutes maybe? You know, so we’re on the computer…just do it! Put a stamp on…mail it. You’re always going to the post office or the mailbox.  It’s easy! Why not do it?

Question: Another blog reader asked “What priorities in you life have changed since you won?”

The answer from the Cella’s: …our family was always a priority, so that hasn’t changed. And we’re setting it up so they’re involved in our winnings.

Question: What did you do with the big check?

The answer from the Cella’s: We put it on the kitchen table for our guests to see!

Question: Have you received info from a financial advisor?

The answer from the Cella’s: Not yet, but we plan to.

Question: What would you tell people who haven’t won yet?

The answer from the Cella’s: Don’t give up! Don’t give up the ship. Keep believing it, that someday it will happen…like it happened to us!

Question: How has your money changed your financial status? Did you have any stress about bills before the Prize Patrol arrived?

The answer from the Cella’s: Just it would help us to reach our goals. We’re trying to sell our home in Florida, and we’re trying to buy a home on Long Island.

So blog readers, what did you think of their answers? Did you find them as interesting as we do? We hope so! And we look forward to doing this again in the future!

Matt K.
PCH Creative

P.S. – If you were a $1 Million SuperPrize winner and got to visit PCH Headquarters, what would you be most interested in seeing? Danielle’s office? Todd’s office? The place where we make the Big Check? Tell us in the comments below!