Crystal Hyman and her family didn’t expect to win the Hospital Home Lottery’s grand prize when they bought tickets this year.
The four — Crystal and Emil Hyman and their daughters Paula and Shaylin Rabbitskin — just wanted to show their support for the treatment eight-year-old Shaylin receives in Saskatoon's hospitals.
“At first I thought it was a prank,” Crystal said. She was skeptical when she received a call Friday stating she’d won the lottery’s $1.6-million show home in The Willows.
“We support the Hospital Home Lottery because Shaylin always needed the hospital, and we wanted to show our support, so we gladly bought tickets.”
Shaylin, the family’s youngest daughter, has scoliosis and was admitted to Royal University Hospital on Thursday for an upcoming surgery. Crystal had just picked her up on a medical day pass from the hospital when the mother received the lottery’s good news.
Emil, knowing their daughter was in hospital, was expecting the worse when Crystal called him about the win.
“We’ve been going through some rough times with our daughter,” he told media after touring the home with his family.
“This is a relief. This will help us out a lot. It’s a blessing.”
This year was the fourth year the family has bought tickets for the lottery. Their prize also came with $10,000 cash.
Crystal and Emil haven’t put too much thought yet into whether or not they will keep the home, but Shaylin and 13-year-old Paula have already picked out their rooms.
“It’s too good to be true,” said Crystal.
Saskatoon’s Hospital Home Lottery raises money for the St. Paul’s, Saskatoon City and Royal University hospital foundations.
