Marilyn and Brian Morrison of Naughton are $788,152 richer after they won the March HSN 50/50 draw.
In a news release Friday, Marilyn said she thought someone was joking.
“My first thought was this has to be a prank, right?" she said in the release. "How cruel would that be?”
“I’ve been buying tickets every month for over a year now and nearly didn’t in March but something told me to just get tickets and show my support," she added. "Look how that turned out!”
The husband and wife said family was the first thing on their minds when asked what they plan to do with their prize.
“We have kids and grandkids that we will definitely be sharing with," Marilyn said.
"They’re part of the reason we buy tickets in the first place … One of our sons was a pediatric patient and our granddaughter has Type 1 diabetes. Health care has been a big part of our lives and will likely continue to be a big part of our lives as we get older.”
Brian said watching "health care heroes" at the hospital inspires them to buy tickets each month.
“Everything the staff has been through and how dedicated they are – it’s inspiring,” he said.
Anthony Keating, president and chief development officer of foundations and volunteer groups at HSN, said contacting the winners is a fun part of his job.
“I assured Marilyn that it wasn’t an April Fools’ joke and she just won close to $800,000," Keating said.
“Seeing the jackpot climb so high this past month has been exhilarating, then being able to speak with Marilyn and hear her excitement felt great. We are thrilled for the patients of HSN who will also be benefitting from this huge jackpot."
The April HSN 50/50 draw is live at www.hsn5050.ca and features multiple cash draws throughout the month, including a $10,000 early bird prize on April 6.
Tickets for the April draw are available to purchase right now, with sales ending at 11:59 p.m. on April 28. The jackpot-winning ticket will be drawn April 29.
