Local Wheatland County resident Jill Aschenbrenner has hit it big after winning the 50/50 draw for the Foothills Hospital Home Lottery.

Aschenbrenner's friends and family knew she had won before she did, as the winner was drawn on live TV, which she wasn't watching.

"I was at home just visiting with my family when my phone kept going off, and all I could think was, what's going on."

Aschenbrenner explained that she kept getting congratulatory messages but didn't understand why. 

"A couple of old friends called me, asking me if I was watching the news. I said no, and they said well, you should be! So they sent me a video of my name being drawn, and I was completely stunned."

Right after that call with her friends, a Calgary number called her, and it just happened to be the people from Foothills Hospital Home Lottery.

"They asked me if I knew why they were calling, and I said I think so."

And just like that, Aschenbrenner had won $1,556,250.00. 

jILL ASK Local Wheatland County resident Jill Aschenbrenner has hit it big after winning the 50/50 draw for the Foothills Hospital Home Lottery.

"It was overwhelming. I never thought that I would win something like that in my life."

As for what Aschenbrenner plans to do with the winnings, she told Strathmorenow that so much is in the works.

"I just retired, and my husband is about to retire, so we plan to travel, have some fun, see some stuff locally that we have never seen, help our kids, help our community, and volunteer."

According to Aschenbrenner, the exciting part is that she didn't even fully remember purchasing a 50/50 ticket.

"I helped my mom buy a ticket. She wanted to buy one online because that was the easiest way, and I got one, too. You could opt-in, make it a membership in the Calgary Health Foundation, and add the 5050. So I did both of those things. It just renewed every year, so winning was a total surprise." 

Aschenbrenner leaves off by saying she understands that the world right now is struggling, but she will do what she can to pay it forward. 

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