A story unfolded in Galicia that could easily serve as the plot for a film about both bad luck and serendipity. A resident of O Porriño, in the province of Pontevedra, came close to losing a large sum due to his own carelessness. Unaware of his win, the man destroyed his lottery ticket, but with the help of his family and remarkable patience, he managed to reclaim his chance at a substantial prize.
It all began when a group of parents from the IES Ribeira do Louro school in the Torneiros parish decided to organize a lottery ticket sale. The goal was simple—to raise funds for the children’s graduation trip. One of the tickets purchased by the man turned out to be lucky: it won the second prize in the Lotería del Niño, earning each participant 15,000 euros.
A mistaken decision
However, that joy nearly slipped away. Without checking all his tickets, the man decided to get rid of what he thought were unimportant slips of paper. He put them through a shredder, not realizing the winning ticket was among them. It was only after family members told him about the win that he realized his mistake—a mistake that could have cost him a fortune.
That was when a true rescue operation began. Together with his nephews, the man headed to the trash bin to search for scraps of the ticket. Using tweezers and a lot of patience, the family spent hours piecing together the tiny bits of paper, as if working on a puzzle. Every fragment was priceless—after all, 15,000 euros were at stake.
A second chance
After the ticket was carefully pieced back together, it was placed between two panes of glass to protect its fragile condition. In this state, the man made his way to the lottery office. There, despite the unusual appearance of the ticket, it was declared valid. Now the lucky winner will be able to claim his prize later this week.
Interestingly, such cases aren’t that rare. According to lottery workers, people often tear up or throw away tickets without checking them properly. Usually, it’s a matter of a few pieces, not a hundred tiny fragments like in this case. This story turned into a real test of nerves and attention.
A lesson for everyone
As a result, thanks to perseverance and support from his family, the man not only regained his chance for a big win but also became the talk of the town. Everyone in the city is discussing this extraordinary stroke of luck and how easily something nearly in your hands can slip away. Lottery tickets sold by schoolchildren brought about 15 million euros to Pontevedra, but it’s this story that people will remember for a long time.
This situation clearly shows that even the simplest things demand attention. And, as we know, luck favors those who don’t give up, even in the most hopeless situations.
