After Spending Her Life Savings On Her Daughter's Treatment, A Mom Buys A Scratch Card That Changes Her Life
The day after her daughter's treatment ended, the Florida mom bought the last lottery ticket available in her local vendor.
alisafarov / Shutterstock, Thirdman / Pexels A mom from Florida had a change of luck the day after her daughter finished treatment for breast cancer.
On April 7, 2023, Geraldine Gimblet of Lakeland, Florida, stopped at a gas station to buy a lottery ticket, but was told by the clerk that they were all out of the ones she wanted. She wanted to try her luck with a crossword “$2,000,000 Bonus Cashword Scratch-off” ticket because she “likes the crossword games best.”
“At first the gas station clerk thought there were no tickets left, but I asked him to double-check,” Gimblet explained. “He found the last one!”
Gimblet played the last game available, and it paid off— she won the top prize of $2 million.
She decided to take a one-time, lump-sum payment of $1,645,000. The prize had a 1-in-3.9 million chance of cashing.
But winning the lottery wasn’t the only victory for Gimblet that week.
Gimblet had spent her life savings on treatment and care for her daughter, who was battling a breast cancer diagnosis.
The day after her daughter finished treatment, Gimblet won her millions.
“The day before my mom bought this ticket, I rang the bell and walked out of the hospital after completing my last treatment for breast cancer,” Gimblet’s daughter reported. “My mom had taken out her life savings to take care of me when I was sick. I’m just so happy for her!”
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers.
Each year in the United States, there are 264,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed in women and about 2,400 in men. About 42,000 women and 500 men die each year from breast cancer.
While the Centers for Disease Control reports that deaths from breast cancer have declined over time, breast cancer is still the second-leading cause of cancer death overall among women. It is the leading cause of cancer death among Latina women. Black women have a higher rate of death from breast cancer than white women.
The decrease in death rates from breast cancer is believed to be the result of earlier screenings and increased awareness, along with better treatments.
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As Gimblet’s daughter celebrated her final treatment, she also got to celebrate her mom’s big win. Together, Gimblet, her daughter, and granddaughter traveled 260 miles to the Florida Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee, Florida, to cash in on the prize.
Mathematician Skip Garabaldi states that "there are definitely lotteries that are easier to win than other lotteries."
He says that the chances of winning a Powerball jackpot are about 1 in 3,000,000,000, making Gimblet's win a very impressive stroke of luck.
Gimblet bought her winning ticket for $10 from Pipkin Road Beverage Castle, in her hometown of Lakeland, Florida. The retailer will receive a $2,000 bonus commission for selling that winning ticket.
The specific scratch-off game was launched in May 2022. It features eight top prizes of $2 million, 5 of which have already been won. The odds of winning the grand prize are 1-in-3,921,270.
According to the Florida Lottery’s official website, scratch-off games made up about 77% of ticket sales from 2021-2022. Their website also states that the Florida Lottery contributes over $43 billion to enhance education, sending over 950,000 students to college through the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
One might pose the question as to why the Lottery does this labor, as opposed to the federal government making college open and affordable to all US citizens.
One could also ask why a woman was forced to spend all the money she’s ever saved to get her daughter basic treatment and care to combat a life-threatening illness, while living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Gimblet and her daughter deserve every ounce of good luck coming their way as they embark on a new and bright chapter of their lives.
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Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.