Winner of $914K HSN 50/50 draw in Sudbury thought she was being pranked

Sudbury -

When Brigitte Laing's phone rang Tuesday morning, the last thing she was expecting was news she had won $914,855 in the May HSN 50/50 draw.

"When I saw the caller ID from the hospital, you know, your instinct is, 'Oh no! What's happened to a family member or something like that," Laing told Pure Country host Coop on Wednesday morning.

Even when she got the good news, Laing said she was skeptical.

"I'm like, OK is this a prank?" she said. "This can't, you know, can't be real. I thought it was my husband playing a trick on me or something."

But when she checked her numbers and realized she had won, she was overcome.

'I just started bawling on the phone'

"I think I didn't say much and I just started bawling on the phone," Laing said. "I think I think anybody would have the same reaction, because $914,000, that's pretty close to a million bucks."It's an amount that is life-changing, she said, for her and her husband.

"My husband has been out of work for quite some time and, you know, struggling from paycheck to paycheck," Laing said. "And so this for us is, you know, it can ensure that down the line if there are future health issues, it can be taken care of. I don't have to worry as much as I've been worrying over the past few years. So for us, it is life-changing."

The impact of the lotto win is starting to sink in, she added.

"I'm starting to realize that, you know, all those things that we put off for a long, long time, some of those projects can be realized now," Laing said.

She and her husband recently dealt with the loss of family pets, so the big win gave them a moral and financial boost.

"Obviously, aside from paying our mortgage and some of our debts off, a puppy is in our future," Laing said. "We're looking forward to filling some of that void that's been left."

The next 50/50 draw is already almost at $100,000, HSN said. Tickets can be purchased at www.hsn5050.ca.