50/50 Jackpot Helps UToledo Staffer Cope With Medical Bills

TOLEDO, Ohio - Just about the time Sunday Griffith was starting to receive the medical bills for her chemotherapy, an email from the UToledo Athletic Department caught her eye.

The department was holding an online 50/50 raffle in conjunction with the Downtown Coaches Association (DCA), a support group for UToledo Athletics. Normally the DCA conducts the raffle at Rocket Football games and other UToledo Athletics home events, but the raffle moved to an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sunday thought she would try her luck.

"I saw the pot was $2800 so I thought I'd throw in $20," said Sunday, who serves as UToledo's director of enrollment research and planning. "The medical bills were just starting to come in so I thought, who knows, maybe I can win some money and help pay for them."

Sunday, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and began receiving chemotherapy treatments in June, followed along as the pot grew bigger.

"I kept getting these emails saying how big the pot was getting. I just thought, there goes my chance of winning," she said. "I figured the more people playing, the worse my odds of winning were."

But on August 21, Sunday received the email that announced the winning number. She looked at her computer screen. She looked again. She called over a co-worker and had her look. There it was: A-2680975. The winning number!

"It felt like a dream," said Sunday. "I texted my husband and said, 'Guess who has the lucky number?' It didn't seem real at all."

Sunday's share of the total pot of $24,526 was $12,263 (about $9,000 after taxes) with the Athletic Department sharing the other half. She knew exactly what she was going to do with the money.

"We have wonderful health insurance at The University of Toledo, but with deductibles, co-pays and other costs, cancer treatment can still cost a lot of money," said Sunday, who noted that the total cost of just the first two rounds of chemotherapy was $48,000. "So far we've had $4,000 in out-of-pocket costs, and I'm only partway through my treatment. I would love to spend the money on something fun but I'm just grateful to have this to cover the bills."

Sunday said she is currently in the first of two series of chemotherapy treatments. The second round should be completed sometime in October, followed by surgery, and then radiation treatments.

Sunday is still working, partly at home, partly in the office. She and her husband Chuck, who have two daughters (Ada and Ella) at Napoleon High School, recently bought some land and are busy with their plans to build a house on it someday. In the meantime, she admitted she might spend a little bit of her winnings on something fun, after all.

"Airpods," she said. "I think I'll treat myself to a pair of Airpods."

For information on the latest Downtown Coaches Association 50/50 raffle draws visit www.utrockets.com/rockets5050

50/50 Jackpot Helps UToledo Staffer Cope With Medical Bills

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