(CNN)At Mercy Children’s Hospital, the nurses and staff of the neonatal intensive care unit pool their money to enter the lottery.
They’ve been doing it for for years, with varying degrees of success.
Last month, the staffers at the St. Louis-area hospital won big: $10,000 in the Mega Millions lottery.
But instead of divvying up the winnings among their group, they gave the money to two colleagues going through some tough times.
The joyous discovery
The lottery pool began as a way to bring some levity.
“We have a very stressful job, so it’s just something fun that keeps us going,” nurse Gretchen Post told CNN.
As last month’s jackpot grew to $1.6 billion, nurse — and lottery pool organizer — Stephanie Brinkman stayed up late and watched the results come in. Soon, her phone was lighting up with calls and messages from her colleagues. They had a winning ticket.
“I was so in shock, I couldn’t believe it,” Brinkman said.
The shocking news
The group’s elation soon met a sobering reality.
They learned that Post’s 17-year-old son had killed himself just a few hours before the drawing…… (Readmore)