Sudbury siblings share $602K prize in hospital 50/50 draw

Three sisters from Greater Sudbury are sharing $602,835, the prize in April's 50/50 draw in support of Health Sciences North. (Supplied)

Three sisters from Greater Sudbury are sharing $602,835, the prize in April's 50/50 draw in support of Health Sciences North.

The winners are Jo-Anne Couillard and her sisters Tammy and Rachel.

“Trying to get through work after finding out that my sisters and I had won April’s jackpot was so difficult," Jo-Anne said in a news release Monday.

"Luckily I work with Tammy and we were able to verify the tickets, call Rachel, and celebrate together."

“She came to me shaking and asked if I would check our tickets because she got a call that we had won HSN’s 50/50 draw," said Tammy.

"I was definitely skeptical, but the numbers matched.”

“The three of us almost always buy tickets separately and one of us will buy tickets for the group," Rachel added.

"We’ve all had experiences with the health care system here and the hospital so we feel that it’s an important cause to support. We never expected to actually win."

Each sister had similar plans regarding what they would do with their portion of the jackpot. The first thought was supporting family and completing renovations, but the three also agreed that they would help their community where they can and want their winnings to make an impact.

“This is the first time we’ve had a group of siblings win an HSN 50/50 draw,” said HSN's Anthony Keating.

“We are thrilled for Jo-Anne and her sisters. As always the 50/50 is a win-win-win as the winner takes home a life-changing sum, it supports building a healthier community, and directly impacts the patients from across northeastern Ontario who are receiving care at HSN."

The May HSN 50/50 draw is live at www.hsn5050.ca and the jackpot is already more than $130,000. The winning ticket will be drawn on June 1 at 10 a.m. and posted online.