Sharing the wealth

With 43 immediate family members, John Maw’s $100,000 Grand Prize #4 from the Heart & Stroke Lottery may not go far – but he’s not complaining. “We just counted our direct family,” the Alliston, Ont. resident laughed at the cheque presentation. “We’re going to be sharing a good portion with them.”

Next on the priority list will be upgrading his van and giving the kitchen a facelift. If there’s any left over – and if their health permits – John and his wife, Ann, will spend the rest on a trip. But after having a heart attack three weeks after his 80th birthday several years ago, and then undergoing open heart surgery, John is just grateful for the opportunity to support research and care for diseases that have touched his life.

“When they called to tell me that I won, they asked if I had any connection to heart disease and stroke and I told her about my heart attack. And she said, oh good,” John says. But he knew exactly what was meant. “Especially after going through what I went through, I know this isn’t to be taken lightly.”