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MONCTON - Winning $10 million means different things to different people. For William Mason, it means a chance to get his life back.

The Saint John resident was laid off from his job as a delivery driver in November and has been finding it tough to make ends meet.

With his unemployment insurance running out and a stack of overdue bills, he was on the verge of losing his house.

That is, until Monday.

Standing in Moncton with a cheque for more than $10 million in winnings from the Atlantic Lottery Corp., it was easy to see that things are about to change for Mason and his family.

Joined by his girlfriend, five children and three grandchildren, he said this weekend's news was hard to swallow.

"When I first checked the numbers - and I happened to notice I had every number - I pretty well went through the roof," Mason said. "I did my happy dance. It's going to mean big changes. A new life for all of us."

He said at first he wasn't certain he was seeing right and got his girlfriend to check the numbers online. Sure enough, they were right. Even then, it took some convincing before the rest of his family would believe him.

"I didn't believe him," said his daughter Natasha. "I thought he called to tell me somebody died."

Natasha said the news came as a relief to her.

"It was like an angel shined down and said, 'Here you go,'" she said. "People win and they're usually OK, but he was in the gutter. No one deserves it more."

Mason has some thinking to do about his future.

So far, he doesn't have any immediate plans for the money, but he could use a new vehicle.

His kids, on the other hand, have other plans.

"I would like him to go on the trip of his lifetime that he's always talked about," Natasha said.