HOUSTON -- Some lucky Houston-area residents won tickets to attend Michael Jackson's memorial service, and one man hopes it will change his life, KPRC Local 2 reported Monday.

"I never thought I would win tickets," said Rob O'Sullivan from Deer Park.

O'Sullivan had a white-sequined glove in 7th grade and considered himself a big fan of Jackson.

So, the Deer Park resident did not hesitate to put his name into a lottery to win a chance to the memorial.

"I was just thinking, 'Let's do it for fun and see what happens. Never in a million years did I expect it," he said.

O'Sullivan is one of about 7,000 people to win a two-person voucher to attend the memorial service, but he's not going because of financial problems.

"We went from a happy, healthy lifestyle to an impoverished one. We were three months behind on mortgage and car payment, and foreclosure over our heads," he said.

So, O'Sullivan said he wanted to sell the tickets for $5,000. He said the driving force is his 6-month-old daughter, who needs surgery for a heart condition.

"If someone pays me $5,000 and they go and can't get in, I will return the money. It is the right thing to do," he said. "There's no way I can get there. I don't have enough funds. I'm unemployed. I still want people to use them."

Craigslist and eBay pulled the auction Monday morning. The voucher clearly states it's not for sale or resale.

Approximately 1.6 million people registered to win tickets to the service.

Maria Banuelos from Humble said she plans to use the vouchers she won.

"I love Michael Jackson," she said.

She was notified of her winning Sunday and spent most of the evening looking for airline tickets and a hotel in which to stay in Los Angeles.

"It looks like there are early morning flights to go," she said. "It will be costly, but it will be worth it."