Coast veteran wins Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes, gets choice of truck or $50,000
When Sandra Bomar of Ocean Springs opened her door on Wednesday afternoon, she was surprised with the gift of a lifetime — and it could not have come at a better time.
Outside her door was Howie Guja, a member of the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol, there to notify her that her husband, Timothy Bomar, had won his choice of a Super Duty F-250 XL pickup truck or $50,220 in cash.
For the Bomars, the prize is a lifeline and a relief.
In October, Sandra was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. Since then, she has been out of work to undergo chemotherapy and a mastectomy with medical bills piling up.
“This is the blessing that we never dreamed we would ever receive,” she said.
When Guja arrived at the house, the prize winner, Timothy, was at his first day back at work in over a month. The 65-year-old Air Force veteran had taken time off from his job working security at the Air National Guard facility in Gulfport to help Sandra deal with her cancer treatment.
When Guja and Sandra FaceTimed Timothy to show him the prize, he raced home from work. For him the choice between the truck and the cash was easy — it would be cash.
“It’s a big relief with some of the things we’ve got going on,” he said. “It takes a lot off of us. It’s life changing.”
Publishers Clearing House has been giving cash prizes away for decades through various sweepstakes contests it runs. The company regularly ran popular TV ads showing contest winners being surprised with large checks.
Timothy Bomar says he started entering the contests in the 1990s and would regularly enter weekly, never winning anything more than a few dollars. That is, until Wednesday.
The Bomars, who have been together for 42 years, are hoping the money will help Timothy to retire, allowing him to spend more time with their grandchildren and be able to take Sandra to her doctors appointments.
According to Sandra, the money is “going to let us survive.”
“If anyone plays PCH,” Timothy said. “Don’t give up.”
This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
