Mega Shock For Our Mega Prize
The day the Prize Patrol had been waiting for had finally arrived – November 30th, Mega Prize award day! This is the largest prize I have ever awarded and I couldn’t wait to find out what the lucky winner would be like.
This Prize Patrol award had a special energy to it. A team from AOL.com was joining the Prize Patrol to document the award – and boy were they excited to get the rare and unique experience to actually travel with the Prize Patrol to deliver one of PCH’s largest prizes! I narrated the day’s events to the AOL cameras- from driving to the florist (and getting lost on the way), to scoping out the winners home, to the BIG winning moment.
At around 11:30 AM, it was time to knock on the winner’s door – we all had our fingers crossed that Leroy would be home. Well everyone asks what we do if the winner isn’t home – and that is exactly what happened; no one answered the door! The large crowd at Leroy’s home created quite a scene and the neighbors were excited to be our accomplices in finding our winner.
One neighbor wanted to help so he called Leroy’s cell phone and told him that a package arrived at his home and he had to sign for it. Just like that, Leroy was on his way home having NO idea that the package waiting for him was the Prize Patrol with a big check for $1,000,000 PLUS $5,000 A Week For Life!
Within the hour Leroy arrived home. We hid around the corner so he didn’t see us. Once Leroy went inside, we went in for the big surprise!
Boy was Leroy surprised when he opened that door! Tears in his eyes, he was literally speechless. “I really can’t believe that this is happening to me!” He looked at the million dollar check (yes I said MILLION dollar real check) in absolute astonishment!”I can put this in the bank immediately?” I screamed, “YES!!!”
He told us about how this money will help him and his family. First, he would pay the church, donate to charity and buy his wife a new wedding ring! Immediately I could tell how generous and selfless this winner was. For himself, he wants a new camera!
We wanted Leroy’s wife Cecilia to be able to share this experience. We found out that she was busy volunteering at St. Ann’s soup kitchen in Newark. He called his wife and told her to come home immediately but to drive carefully because it was good news! We didn’t want her to know what was going on so we could surprise her too! And WOW she was shocked, she almost passed out! You can see Leroy and Cecilia’s reactions in his winning moment video on PCHTV.com!
Leroy and Cecilia were overjoyed to be able to help their charity – the Donna T. Darrien Memorial Foundation for Sickle Cell. His family started the nonprofit group in 1999 in honor of his 23-year-old niece who died of the disease in 1997.
By the end of our visit, almost all of Leroy’s family came over to the house to share in the excitement! They were jumping, screaming, and celebrating. “We’re related to a millionaire!” they kept saying. “This couldn’t have happened to better people – they are so generous,” said Leroy’s daughter.
This is truly a day that changes Leroy and Cecilia’s life forever. Even more so, because of their incredibly generous nature, this prize will help MANY others too – like his church and the Donna T. Darrien Memorial Foundation for Sickle Cell. I feel honored to have been a part of this joyous occasion.
Danielle Lam
PCH Prize Patrol Elite
