Nurses Who Win Lottery Give Away Their Winnings to Two Co-Workers in Need

By Amanda Thomason November 30, 2018 at 11:00am

Whenever someone answers the “what would you do if you won the lottery” question, they usually say they’d donate some of it to charity. It’s just a nice thing to do — we all know it.

When we’re blessed with more, giving more is a natural extension of that thankfulness. But how many people actually carry through once the money’s in their hands?

Some of the nurses at Mercy Children’s Hospital have proven that they would when their lottery pool won $10,000.

ICYMI: When it comes to incredible #nurses, we hit the jackpot! Check out this @KMOV story about @mercysaintlouis nurses who gave their @MegaMillionsUS winnings to two of their own going through heartbreak: https://t.co/wo5wzppLgS #FacesOfMercy pic.twitter.com/iuRp4vNESA

— Mercy (@FollowMercy) November 14, 2018

“We never thought in a million years we would win anything at all and then we came one number away from winning $1.6 billion,” Stephanie Brinkman, a nurse in the NICU, told KMOV.

Just one number shy of winning the billion, these nurses still took what they’d won and decided to help their own. They walked away with $7,200 after paying taxes on their winnings, split that amount in half, and found two people who could use a little extra cash.

“The majority said, ‘let’s give it to our co-workers, our family, the ones that are in biggest need’ so that’s what we decided to do,” Brinkman said.

“I know it’s not the $1.6 billion dollars but here is what we have to offer you,” Brinkman told one of the recipients, a mother who’d lost her teenage son to suicide on the night of the lottery drawing. “Hopefully, it’ll help.”

Would you give away lottery winnings?

“Jack always had a smile on his face,” Gretchen Post, the grieving mother, said. “He did not lead anyone on that this would happen.”

“It’s actually going to pay for Jack’s funeral which I’m very grateful for.”

The other recipient was Casey Orellana, whose husband had recently been diagnosed with cancer. She’d reduced her hours significantly just to take care of her kids and husband, and the money came at just the right time.

“When I got that phone call, it was a day I was wondering how we were going to pay for certain medications and it just touches your heart,” Casey said.

“Since July, I have not been able to work,” her husband, Phil, said. “I have been getting various other treatments for wound care and at the same time, I had also found out the cancer had spread to my lungs.

“Certainly knowing that I’m not the only one fighting this battle, that there are people there to support me, certainly makes it easier for me.”

Thanks to some generous nurses, these two families have not only received mercy, but they also received charity and a good dose of the holiday spirit.

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