BALTIMORE, MD—Although she was chasing a Mega Millions jackpot, a Silver Spring woman is happy to join the game’s millionaires’ club after winning a $1 million second-tier prize in an April drawing.

The Montgomery County resident, who said she has chased the jackpot her entire life, gave herself the nickname “Lady Jackpot Chaser” to tell the story of her April 18 win.

“I didn’t believe it. I didn’t know how to react,” said the 61-year-old. The sales associate added that she was surprised at the moment that she won, but was not totally shocked as she knew her days of jackpot chasing would pay off.

“I always said that I would win the Lottery one day,” she explained.

The big winner used a combination of her birthday and her friend’s birthday along with random numbers to fill out her lucky $8 Mega Millions ticket. She played two lines using her personal sets of numbers in the April 18 and April 21 drawings.

Even though she caught this $1 million prize, “Lady Jackpot Chaser” said she will still chase the Mega Millions jackpot, which is set at an estimated annuity of $368 million for the Friday, June 30 drawing, with an estimated cash value of $193.4 million.

“Oh yes, I will keep playing,” promised “Lady Jackpot Chaser.”

She plans to use the $1 million windfall to pay off her home mortgage. She is the third Marylander to win a $1 million second-tier Mega Millions prize this year.

Her lucky store, 7-Eleven in Silver Spring also gets in on the fun of her chase. The Montgomery County retailer located at 12405 Georgia Avenue received a $2,500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the second-tier winning ticket to “Lady Jackpot Chaser.”