Kim Saunders had been purchasing Heart & Stroke Lottery tickets for years, first with co-workers, and on her own since 2007. Then, getting ready for golf on a sunny spring day, the call came in. “It was so surreal. When I got off the phone, my heart rate was up. I had to sit down, and pinch myself to tell myself this actually happened.”  

When Kim realized the call was for real, she called her golf girlfriends to let them know she had some news: “I’m on my way to golf thinking how am I going to golf now?” Meeting her friends in the parking lot, “I started crying, and they thought it was bad news, but I said no, this is REALLY GOOD news!” When she let them know she’d won the Heart & Stroke 50/50 Lottery, “We were screaming and hugging each other and the other golfers had no idea what was happening.”  

She managed to get through her golf game without telling her partner Allan until she saw him back at home: “Allan and I have been happily unmarried for over 30 years. We were getting ready for retirement and planning to marry, but winning sped it up a little.” She and Allan recently wed in their backyard with two witnesses, and are looking forward to Allan’s earlier retirement.  

Kim plans to keep buying tickets because she firmly believes research is critical for advancements in heart and stroke diagnosis: “My dad passed at age 50 due to a heart related issue and a co-worker had a heart attack in our building at only 48. It’s an amazing lottery and you have a good opportunity to win something great as well.”