Minnesota Great-Grandma Gets Terrible Cancer Diagnosis Then Wins the Lottery

Life comes with all sorts of ups and downs. Sometimes there are really high ups and really low downs. And there's one Minnesota woman who knows about that all too well.

Her name is Debbie and she's a great-grandmother from Bloomington, Minnesota. She's an avid blackjack player who brings a light into every room that she's in.

But one day while playing blackjack, something just didn't seem right to her.

She told WCCO, "'They weren't coming together right. A lot of times you have to put cards in order, they just — they didn't want to play with me.'"

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Debbie's Cancer Diagnosis

Debbie went to the doctor and soon found out that she had Stage 4 brain cancer with three tumors in her head. What awful news to get!

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But despite all of that, Debbie was still Debbie and lit up the oncology floor of Methodist Hospital. One of the nurses said, "'I made a crown for her — 'Queen of Methodist Hospital.' She was just loving it 'cause she just lit up a room.'"

Then, things took another unexpected turn, but this time for the better.

Debbie Ended Up Winning the Lottery!

Not too long after her diagnosis Debbie got a gift from a friend that included a scratch-off ticket. She played and thought she had won $100!

Nope, add a few zeros to that. Debbie actually had won $100,000! What a nice surprise after a terrible diagnosis.

More Positivity in Debbie's Life

The good news doesn't end there, though. Debbie went on to have surgery for the three tumors and it was successful. The doctors are saying they hope it gave her at least 6 more years.