SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A single mom from Escondido saw her life change in a single moment when she won on an August episode of ABC's "Press Your Luck," bringing home more than $265,000 in cash.
“I’m going to try not to cry because it was a very emotional moment," FaLawna Barton told ABC 10News after her big win. "Even when I won the bonus round, I just couldn’t stop crying. I was literally saying, 'This is real. This is happening to me right now. I won.'”
Her family had fallen on tough times, moving in with a co-worker from Rock Church, where she serves as a deacon. The big winnings will allow Burton to afford a good down payment for a dream home for her and her children, NiLa and KayLa.
“My heart goes out to single parents because I know the struggle," Barton said. "You have mom guilt or father guilt, whatever you struggle with and you want to provide the best for your and family and you’re like, 'How can I do that?”
Winning big on a game show is unlikely enough, but Barton's journey was even more unusual. She had already appeared on "Press Your Luck" the year before. On the verge of winning more than $85,000, she lost it all when she hit the show's notorious "Whammy."
"It hurt so bad. I am not going to lie. I went home extremely discouraged because as a single mom, that money really meant a lot to me.”
Her personal story and outgoing personality must have had a positive effect on the show's producers. To Barton's surprise, they called a year later and offered her a second chance.
This time, her faith paid off.
However, Barton was asked not to tell anyone the results of her appearance until after it aired three months later. She managed to keep the secret from her children, who didn't know that she'd won until they watched it on live television.
“We watched it and I was so confused. I was like, wait a second. You won? You kept that from us the whole time?” said her daughter, NiLa.
Barton says she has already begun the search to buy a home.
