(CNN) A North Carolina man and his wife are about to embark on a trip of a lifetime thanks to winning big on a scratch-off lottery ticket.
Richard Beare of Charlotte took home the top prize of $250,000 from a $5 scratch-off game called Carolina Black.
"I recently got diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer," said Beare in a statement from the NC Eduction Lottery. "I want to travel while I can still enjoy myself. My wife has always wanted to go to Italy, since that's where her descendants are from. Now I can take her. "
Beare stopped at a convenience store two weeks ago to purchase a Powerball ticket his wife wanted. While inside the store, he also decided to test his luck on some scratch-off tickets.
"I rarely play the lottery," said Beare. "I only stopped because my wife asked me to get a Powerball ticket since the jackpot was so high."
Beare, a retired automotive mechanic, stood inside the store and scratched off the four tickets he bought. He couldn't believe what he saw as he scratched off the last ticket, so he asked the clerk to double check it.
"When I saw that I had matching numbers, I asked her, 'What does it mean if I match the numbers?' She said it meant I won a prize," said Beare.
"I told her, 'Well, I guess we just won $250,000 then.' She was in shock and just kept looking back and forth to me and the ticket."
Beare claimed his prize on Monday at the North Carolina lottery headquarters in Raleigh and took home $176,876 after taxes.
The Carolina Black lottery ticket launched early March and has four top prizes of $250,000. Two top prizes remain, according to lotto officials.