After 25 years, a bittersweet win

Karen Marr purchased her first Heart & Stroke Lottery ticket in 1996, the year her young husband passed away from a heart attack: “Wayne was playing hockey, and there was no defibrillator in the arena. The attending doctor told me if there had been, they probably could have saved him.” 

The following year, with the help of Heart & Stroke, Karen and the hockey team took the reins in the installation of defibrillators in arenas across Ontario. 
 
25 years later, when Karen received a call letting her know she’d won $1 million in the lottery, she thought it was a scam. “As the call progressed, Heart & Stroke representative Tiffany said she had my record. When I asked what she meant, she told me I’d been supporting Heart & Stroke since 1997.” 

Shocked, Karen then realized she was indeed the recipient of a $1 million Grand Prize. She has since shared her windfall with her five daughters, and purchased a much-needed new car. 

For Karen, the timing of her win was bittersweet: “Wayne passed away January 20th. I got the phone call on January 7th. Tiffany told me I’d receive the cheque around the 20th. I couldn’t even talk at that moment. I thought, “He’s looking after me, he’s saying: ‘I’m taking care of you in your old age, don’t worry’...I cried.” 

She adds: “If you’re not sure which lottery ticket to purchase, choose Heart & Stroke. The odds are 1 in 2…the best out there. I’m living proof!”