Meet the winners of this month’s hospital cash lottery draws from northern Ontario.
Matheson family wins $2.2M
A Matheson family found out on Friday they won $2,263,732 in the Thunder Bay hospital’s 50/50 March draw.
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation CEO Glen Craig called Gerta and Johan Jordaan with the good news, which was captured on video.
“I’m glad I got a hold of you because I have some really good news for you,” Craig said.
“I needed to speak to Gerta today to let her know she is a multi-millionaire.”
In the video, quiet sounds of disbelief can be heard.
“Well, I guess she’s not believing you,” Johan can be heard saying.
When Craig told them the full amount, Johan joked, “Well, I guess we can have a good party tonight and if there’s anything left, maybe we can pay off the bills!”
When asked what this win means for their future, Johan, who works at a mine, replied, “Maybe retirement, at least maybe earlier,” the foundation said in a news release.
Matheson is located more than 800 kilometres east of Thunder Bay, but because the tickets are sold online, anyone in Ontario who is more than 18 years old can purchase them.
Val Caron retired couple wins $403.3K
Also on Friday, a couple from the Greater Sudbury community of Val Caron learned they won the $403,300 jackpot in the Health Sciences North 50/50 draw for March.
“I had a rough night last night, so I stayed in bed a little longer this morning and then I was just going to get up,” Terry said, her voice wavering.
“I was planning on going to watch Judge Judy when I got the call.”
“That just made my day, my year,” Ray said in a video of the phone call.
Ray and Terry St. Jean are retired and plan to use the money to renovate their kitchen.
“I want that wall gone between the kitchen and the dining room,” Terry said.
“He kept saying, ‘Well, we can’t afford it. We can’t do it … Well, guess what? We can do it!”
Ray said the money will take the pressure off daily expenses.
“With all of the expenses going on right now, like we’re not sure where we’re going to be in 10 years, you know what I mean,” Terry said.
“We don’t know where our health is going to be in the future, so we play the 50/50 with that in mind. We never played to win, but I guess you truly never know.”
The St. Jeans said they have been buying tickets to the HSN 50/50 since it began, and their winning number was part of a membership in which tickets are automatically purchased each month.
The proceeds from each 50/50 draw are split between the jackpot winner and the hospital, which uses the money to buy equipment not funded by the government.
North Bay hospital 50/50
The name of the winner for the March 28 draw of the North Bay Regional Health Centre Foundation’s 50/50 has not been released yet.
The person holding winning ticket number AQ-7957588 has won $27,835.
Timmins hospital 50/50
In Timmins, the March jackpot was $111,005.
The name of the winner hasn’t been released yet, but the winning ticket number from Friday’s draw is BC-45472645.
Tickets still available in Sault Ste. Marie
Meanwhile, in Sault Ste. Marie, the monthly hospital 50/50 draw isn’t until April 1.
The estimated jackpot at the time of publishing is $76,320.
