Metuchen, NJ Wife Wins Lottery Prize for Dedicated Husband

With the holiday season underway, so is Magic 98.3's plethora of seasonal lottery contests. Right now, as displayed on the Magic 98.3 contest page, there are at least three different ways to win.

One is our “Snacks for Santa” contest, where listeners can win a $200 Uber Eats gift card. Another is our “Home for the Holidays,” where entrants can have their mortgage or rent paid up to $18,000 in 2026.

And then there’s our “Holiday Surprise Scratch Off Ticket Giveaway.” We’ll have a total of three winners of $150 worth of New Jersey Lottery scratch-off tickets.

The point of the contest is for the entrants to “pay it forward” and nominate someone else for the prize. According to our website, listeners must, “In 200 words or less, nominate someone you feel could use a little 'pick me up' this holiday season. The winner will receive $125 in scratch-off tickets from New Jersey Lottery.”

I was given the winner’s name and called them Friday morning to share the good news. The nominator was Shelly Lewis of Metuchen, New Jersey. Shelly nominated her husband, Clive, for the lottery prize.

Why was Clive so deserving of the big lottery ticket winnings? Shelly shared her letter when I called them to “verify” their eligibility and tell them of their “Holiday Surprise.”

Shelly said that she almost died earlier this year. She continued, “I had very severe pneumonia, I had a stroke, and he and everybody thought I was going to die. He got all my friends together, my poor husband, he gathered all my friends and family, and they met up with me at JFK to say goodbye.”

Shelly was in a coma for a month, and needless to say, Shelly survived. She is relearning to walk, but shared that Clive has been by her side. Shelly said, “If for 30 years I didn’t know he loved me, I know it now.”

Check out the sweetest story told during our conversation here:

Here’s the letter that Shelly submitted for the contest:

“I almost died earlier this year, and my husband gathered all my friends and family at the hospital to say goodbye. I felt all that positive energy, and I survived. My husband has been by my side throughout my recovery. It has been a slow process, and he has supported me every step of the way. I would love to make him smile and surprise him with lottery tickets. It would make me smile, too!”

The Lewises now have a stack of $150 worth of New Jersey Lottery scratch-off tickets. “I said it would make him smile; he’s smiling.” 😊