VICTORIA -- A Nanaimo woman says she was shocked when she learned that she had won a $500,000 lottery draw this summer.

“I always dreamed of winning,” Debra Allen told the B.C. Lottery Corporation. “It is really hard to fathom that it’s real.”

Allen bought her winning ticket at the Super Save Gas on Bowen Road in Nanaimo on July 28. She says she scanned the winning ticket during a coffee break at work.

Her coworkers were the first people she told about her big win.

“They all started jumping up and down,” said Allen. “I guess I was in shock because my face was just blank.”

Allen says she plans to use her winnings on a “Supersonic” hair dryer, something she’s been looking to buy for a long time.

“I’m going to call my hairdresser right away and order one,” she told the B.C. Lottery Corporation with a laugh.

She also plans to save most of her winnings for her and her partner’s retirement.

Allen says she’s considering buying an RV because she enjoys camping on Vancouver Island.