Facebook A profile photo from Shane Missler's Facebook page.
Shane Missler may only be 20, but he’s already made history. He just won a $450 million jackpot, the fourth-largest in Mega Millions’ history. And he’s already becoming a social media legend just by leaving his Facebook account up for people to comment. People from across the country are flooding his page to leave well wishes (or to plug their products.) The young man often posted online about persevering and not giving up, and now it looks like he was foreshadowing his own big win.
1. He Won the Mega Millions with a Quick Pick Ticket That He Bought with Scratch-Off Winnings
Facebook/Shane MisslerShane Missler
20-year-old Shane Missler won the fourth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions’ 21-year history. He chose to take the lump payout, which totals $281.2 million.
He won the ticket using the Quick Pick option, which lets the computer randomly choose numbers for you. He bought five tickets this way, and one of them ended up winning it all. Missler purchased the ticket at a 7-Eleven in Pasco County, Florida, using the winnings from a scratch-off lottery ticket.
He said that he had a feeling he would win, WFLA reported, and the first thing he did after winning was call his brother. The next person he told was his father while they had coffee the next morning.
2. When He Won, He Simply Posted on Facebook: “Oh.My.God.”
FacebookHis post when he won, and all the responses today.
This is by far his most popular social media comment. He posted this the night he won, on January 5 at 11:33 p.m., and the comment already has more than 400 reactions and 33 shares, as of the time of publication. Comments appear to be adding to this pretty much non-stop.
Since Missler won the Mega Millions, people are flooding his Facebook page with comments (and jokes about being related to him.) He hasn’t posted anything about his big win, but that’s not stopping anyone. On January 7, he shared a wrestling video that’s quickly accruing non-stop comments and “helpful” advice. One person advised him to never give the power of attorney to anyone, Another person wrote, “I hope he doesn’t fall for the wrong Women, and id like to advice him to spend every penny befre he dies as you cant take it with you bro.” Another person told him that he needed to make everything on his page private. Here are some of the comments left on his top Facebook post:
FacebookComments from Shane’s top Facebook post.
Another person left this helpful comment: “Please allow me to leave my ecommerce health and wellness Plexus products website in this comment. You don’t have to be overweight to benefit from these products and we have a special sale going on now… ” Someone responded, “I honestly don’t think he gives a s***.”
But in all honesty, viewing his Facebook is a trip down a road of serious positivity and encouragement. He shares happy videos and notes about pushing forward no matter what obstacle is being faced.
3. His Dad Is a Veteran, and Shane’s Proud of Him
FacebookShane Missler
In November, Missler shared a touching post on Facebook in honor of his dad, a veteran. He wrote to his dad: “Happy Veterans Day and thank you for your service I am grateful to have a Father who has enstilled me with some values he accumulated while serving our amazing country! It may be hard to say that sometimes, with all that goes on in America on a day to day basis…but this country truly is AMAZING! Thank you to all that served and are currently serving. I don’t care if you were a janitor in the forces or bleeding on the front lines, grateful for each and every one of you who work towards the collective goal to project and serve this country!”
4. Missler Hopes to Use His Winnings to Help His Family & ‘Do Some Good for Humanity’
In a statement after winning the Mega Millions, Missler wrote: I’m only 20, but I hope to use it to pursue a variety of passions, help my family and do some good for humanity.” He continued: “I intend to take care of my family, have some fun along the way and cement a path for financial success so that I can leave a legacy far into the future.”
Missler was a Verifications Specialist at Universal Background Screening, Daily Mail reported, and he attended community college in Massachusetts after graduating from high school in 2015. He’s originally from Maine, but has been living in Port Richey, Florida. He’s a big New England Patriots and Boston Celtics fan.
5. His Facebook Posts Now Make Great Foreshadowing
Facebook posts like the one above, from January 17, 2017, make perfect foreshadowing. This was posted nearly a year before he won the Mega Millions jackpot, and he reshared it on January 1 with the note: “2017 was a year filled with downsides but more importantly MASSIVE self improvement. I am excited to see how 2018 will play out and I look forward to improving myself even more. I am still just a kid trying to find his way who encourages everyone in his path to follow their dreams, because there are truly NO LIMITS to this thing we call life. Let’s get it.”
People are already commenting on this. “Seems the money you used for the scratch was just the surface. Congrats!” one person wrote.
Then in June 2016, he shared a meme that read: “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” Seems pretty appropriate. And of course, there’s this post:
