Nurse was stunned after checking Powerball ticket. Then came ‘race against the clock’

An Iowa woman has big plans after winning millions in the Powerball, starting with supporting her sons at their county fair.

Thanks to the $2 million Powerball win, Megan Balmer has plans to erase her debt. She told Iowa Lottery officials she intends to pay off her mortgage, student loans and credit card debt — then look to the future.

Her initial reaction, Balmer told Iowa Lottery officials, was pure shock.

“I had a ticket with multiple plays on it and I saw the numbers, and I double-checked on the website a couple times,” she said. “And then I checked on the app and didn’t quite believe what I was seeing. Then we called my stepmom and we went and checked it at another Casey’s gas station.”

Getting back to the convenience store was the challenge. Casey’s was about to close, so it was a “race against the clock” to verify the win, according to the Iowa Lottery.

When Balmer and her boyfriend, Mike Ellis, confirmed they won $2 million, they were overcome with emotion.

“I was jumping up and down, teary-eyed,” Ellis said. “I was just super excited.”

Balmer, of Garwin, matched the numbers 2-24-34-53-58 from the Monday, July 10, drawing. She did not match the Powerball No. 13, but because she added the Power Play option to her ticket, her prize multiplied to $2 million.

Now the 36-year-old nurse is eyeing what she may be able to do with the rest of her money after wiping out her debt.

“I’ll save some for retirement and my kids for their college,” Balmer told lottery officials. “That’s right around the corner, I’ll blink and it will be there.”

Balmer is also hoping for more wins — her sons’ entries at the Tama County Fair. Her sons are showing a heifer and a chicken at the fair, and her stepmom was helping them prepare for the fair as she claimed her prize July 11.

Garwin is about 70 miles northeast of Des Moines.

This story was originally published July 12, 2023 at 9:47 AM with the headline "Nurse was stunned after checking Powerball ticket. Then came ‘race against the clock’."