"If you're not disciplined, you will go broke. I don't care how much money you have."

Those words are from someone who has experienced the ups and downs of lottery winning.

Sandra Hayes won a $224 million Powerball jackpot with a dozen co-workers in 2006, collecting her share of a lump sum of over $6 million.

But unlike thousands of other multi-million dollar winners she decided to reveal her journey in a short personal book - both the good and bad experiences.

Hayes was a social worker with the state of Missouri then (photo left), and she was a single mom of three who was twice divorced.

Her income was less than $26,000 a year according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch.

She had debt, including school loans, and she still was having a hard time believing that she had won.

She wanted to wait until she had her winnings in hand.

But things at work got increasingly difficult.

Sandra writes this revealing introduction in her now-closed blog, "How Winning The Lottery Changed My Life"...

Sandra Hayes also wrote a book about her experiences, available at Amazon.

What was Sandra's advice to other winners?

"I know a lot of people who won the lottery and are broke today," she said.

"If you're not disciplined, you will go broke. I don't care how much money you have."

Sandra Hayes is a graduate of Columbia College where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.

She also is a graduate of Webster University, and after working for many years for the Federal and State Government, she is now retired.

She was born and resides in St. Louis, Missouri. She has many hobbies, including cooking, gardening, fishing, and traveling.

Source: St Louis Post-Dispatch