A woman who has been battling breast cancer for six years has won the lottery two times in the past three months.
Gina Short, from the US state of North Carolina, claimed her $250,000 All or Nothing prize last week – just months after she snagged $1 million in the Ultimate Millions second-chance drawing, lottery officials said in a statement.
![Gina Short brandishes her lottery cheque with her husband Len.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170714071334im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/3/9/p/v/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu39s1.png/1485928693590.jpg)
"We're still in disbelief mode," Short said.
Officials said Short, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, celebrated her $1 million victory in February. Video released by the state lottery shows her falling to the floor and holding her head when she discovers that she has won.
She's presented with a giant check, and others are seen throwing confetti, clapping and cheering.
Her entry was drawn from more than 1.2 million others, officials said in February.
Mecklenburg County breast cancer patient wins $1 million! Her reaction is priceless.https://t.co/3154BxER3c pic.twitter.com/V3e33OSuHf
— NC Education Lottery (@nclottery) February 15, 2016
"If you would have told me, in a million years I still wouldn't have believed you," Short said at the time. "I would have said, 'No you've got the wrong girl,' because that's what I said to them when they told me I had cancer, 'No you've got the wrong girl.'"
She added that the prize - a lump-sum payment of $415,500, after taxes - would help her in her fight.
"I have a second chance," she said at the time. "That's what my whole life is about, second chances."
A few weeks ago, Short said, she was feeling lucky again, so she asked her husband to grab a $2 Quick Pick ticket at a local pharmacy.
On April 29, she beat the odds again in the All or Nothing game, in which players either have to match all 12 numbers or none of them at all.
Officials said Short did not get a match, resulting in a $250,000 prize - worth $173,125 after federal and state tax withholdings.
"We kind of didn't believe it," she said in a statement released by the lottery. "We checked the same ticket six or seven times because we thought we misread it."
The odds of winning the quarter-million prize were 1 in 2.7 million, according to the state lottery.
Short's husband, Len, said they plan to use the money to help cover her treatment costs.
"It's not something you can put into words," he said. "For us to have the good fortune of winning not just one big prize, but two - we are just very thankful for that."
This story was originally published in May 2016.
Washington Post