One lucky woman is proving that canceled plans can lead to big wins. Traci Verbowski, 50, of Kawkawlin, Mich., recently won $500,000 playing the Michigan Lottery’s Detroit Lions game after purchasing her ticket at a local 7-Eleven, which she decided to do only after foregoing a vacation.

Sept. 27 (UPI) -- A Michigan woman said an unexpected change of weekend plans led to her winning a $500,000 lottery prize. Kawkawlin resident Traci Verbowski told Michigan Lottery officials she owes her good luck to a canceled vacation.

The woman said she realized she won more than she initially thought. “At first, we thought I’d just won the jackpot, but then we realized I’d won another $250,000 on top of that. It still feels surreal,” she said. In total, the woman won $498,607, according to lottery officials.

I showed my family the ticket and no one could believe what they were seeing,” the Michigan winner told lottery officials.