85-year-old B.C. lottery winner surprises sister with new car
“Oh my God! I’m so excited!” Barb Randall says, as she records herself heading up a driveway. “We’re almost there!”
The 85-year-old has travelled from Nanaimo, B.C., to Petawawa, Ont., to surprise the sister she hasn’t seen in years.
“Don’t start the party without me!” Barb yells while opening the car door, her phone still recording, preparing to crash Norma’s 75th birthday gathering with a priceless gift.
“Is that Barb?!” Norma Huff asks, confused, before screaming with excitement and rushing over to hug her big sister.
“I just about died!” Norma says, after the surprise. “Barb has always been like a second mom to me!”
But their 10-year age gap is not the reason Barb will never forget the day Norma was born.
“(Her birth) took a second place to the plumbers there (at our house),” Barb recalls with a laugh. “They were putting an indoor toilet in.”
A humble beginning that inspired a lifetime of generous giving from Norma.
“She’s the best person I know,” Barb smiles.
Barb says her sister hasn’t retired yet. Instead of spending money on herself, Norma’s working to support others, like the local homeless shelter she was instrumental in starting.
“I see so many people with nothing,” Norma says. “It’s so nice to give something to people.”
Which brings us to Barbara’s prayer.
“I said, ‘Please Lord,’” Barb recalls. “‘Let me win the big lottery.’”
Barb says her prayer was answered when she recently won a five-figure prize, but it was never for her.
“I felt something right here in my heart,” Barb says, holding her chest. “I said, 'I can get Norma Jean a car!'”
So Barb spent almost all of her winnings to surprise her sister with her first new car in more than 40 years.
When Barb presents her with the keys, the full range of Norma’s reaction is caught on camera — from confusion to disbelief to gratitude.
There’s also a lot of laughter and happy tears.
Barb says she wanted to give back to the sister who’s given so much to so many.
“If you knew her, you’d do it too,“ Barb says, before laughing. “And anyway, I’m 85 years old. I’m on the downward slope! What do I need with a new car?!”
As Barb and Norma embrace on camera, they exemplify what they’ve learned from each other over the years: it’s the time we spend together that’s priceless, and the best gifts you get are the ones you give.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.