An Airdrie resident is celebrating a life-changing lottery win after taking home $1 million in the August 19 LOTTO MAX draw. James Fleming said he was stunned when he checked his ticket in-store and realized it was a winner. “At first, I thought it was $100,000,” Fleming said in a news release from the Western Canada Lottery Corporation. “The cashier that scanned it for me thought that it was as well — then we realized it was a million!” “She gave me two high fives and a hug afterwards,” he laughed. Once the shock wore off, Fleming said the emotion hit him hard. “Oh God, I cried! It was so unexpected.” He said the windfall will allow him to retire and start a new chapter in his life. “This will allow me to retire rather than keep working,” Fleming said. “I’ve discussed a lot of things I can do… some upgrades around the house, a new car, and going on a couple trips.” He added he may even buy a place in the Dominican Republic. Fleming purchased the winning ticket at the 7-Eleven at 213 800 Yankee Valley Boulevard SW in Airdrie. He won by matching one of the two winning MAXMILLIONS selections — 16, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, and 46 — in the August 19 draw. Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon. Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM. DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app. To hear more on this story and others, stream us live here.