SASKATOON – Each year, thousands buy tickets for the Hospital Home Lottery in Saskatoon with hopes of securing the big prize. But, never in a million years did Crystal Hyman think she’d be the one.
“I was shocked and I was in disbelief,” said grand prize showhome winner Crystal Hyman.
The celebration comes during a tough time for the family. The Hyman’s youngest daughter, eight-year-old Shaylin, was admitted to Royal University Hospital Thursday for scoliosis surgery next week.
“The doctors told us this morning that we could go home and come back. So after everything is settled down we’ll probably head back to the hospital,” said Hyman.
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This is Shaylin’s fourth time in the hospital. She was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two, and five months into chemotherapy she suffered a cardiac arrest, leading to brain damage and cerebral palsy.
“You know we’ve been going through some rough times with our daughter,” said Shaylin’s father, Emil.
Wow, this is a relief and this will help us out a lot. It’s a blessing.”
“We support the Hospital Home Lottery because Shaylin has always needed the hospital,” explained Crystal.
They weren’t the only winners with a hospital history. A 50/50 lottery winner, Arnold Baron, and his wife from Lloydminster lost their son, Jeff, 12 years ago.
“The doctors, emergency doctors, triage doctors and everybody tried to do what they could to save Jeff, but the bacterial meningitis had just gone too far,” said Arnold Baron.
While thousands of people vie for the prizes each year, these winners are proof that sometimes support for the hospital lottery has absolutely nothing to with material gain.
During Friday’s presentation there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.
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