Lucky 50/50 Winners Know Exactly How They Will Spend the Winnings

As he does at every Ducks game he attends, Grant Harris bought $40 worth of 50/50 Raffle tickets Monday night before taking his familiar spot in row S of section 222 at Honda Center.

The Laguna Hills resident and his wife, Tara, attend several games a year since Tara's father, Stan Friedman, has been a season ticket holder since 1993. Stan is a pro bowler who hits the lanes every Monday and Thursday, so when that conflicts with Ducks games, he hands the tickets over to his daughter and son-in-law. That was the case for Monday night's historical home opener vs. Detroit.
Tara has been going to Ducks games literally all her life, but Grant has only been attending the last few years, always buying a handful of 50/50 tickets before puck drop. He's enticed by the fantasy of winning half of the pot, but he's also gratified to know the other half goes to the Anaheim Ducks Foundation - of which CHOC Children's is a beneficiary. "I love that the Ducks do that," Grant says.
It wasn't until relatively recently that appreciation became personal.
Grant and Tara's son, Kaden, was born six months ago at St. Joseph's Hospital in Orange, but a slight infection soon after his birth required an additional stay at the CHOC neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
"It was nothing too serious, but it was enough where he had to stay in the NICU for the first week he was born," says Harris, his voice quivering slightly with emotion. "Fortunately all they had to do was give him some antibiotics, and that cured it. We haven't had any problems since he got out, thank God."

Indeed, Kaden is in perfect health now, but the Harrises had to endure some hefty medical bills from the week-long hospital stay. "We've been struggling to pay them," admits the 23-year-old Harris, who works as a repair technician at a computer products company and earns too much to qualify for financial aid.
He never could have guessed that taking in Monday night's Ducks home opener would turn into a financial rescue. It all started when the winning number was revealed early in the third period of last night's Ducks win over the Red Wings. Harris pulled out his tickets like he always does, on the off chance he'd be a winner, scanning all of the tickets in his hand. The winning number was announced by PA announcer Phil Hulett while simultaneously being slowly divulged on the hanging scoreboard - with all but the remaining two numbers being revealed at first.
"I remember he had read all but those last two numbers, which were eight and two on our ticket, and my wife kind of leaned over to me and goes, 'Oh my God, I can't believe it. We never actually make it this far,'" Harris recalls. "And I was like, 'Come on, eight-two, eight-two, eight-two.' And he says 'eight-two' and I was in shock for a second. I had to do a double-take at my ticket and the screen."
Tara's celebratory scream could be heard from all over the arena and was even acknowledged by Hulett. "She was freaking out, but I was in just too much shock to do anything," Grant said. "It was ridiculous."
And Monday night was "a good time to win," since the enthusiastic Home Opener crowd brought the pot up to $42,560, meaning the Harris family's take was $21,280.
And as soon as he came to terms with winning the money, he knew exactly how he'd spend it.
"We haven't been able to pay off that hospital bill yet, but now we can pay it off completely," he says. "So this is really a lifesaver here. I couldn't be more grateful."