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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.