Woman beat cancer after 5 years and major surgery — then luck struck again with a $12K lottery win
Multiple good things might come to a person at the same time. A woman who had been cancer-free for five years this September experienced that. She decided to buy a lottery ticket back in November and ended up winning a prize. The moment meant a lot to the woman, Melissa Bourassa, as it marked a huge turn in her life. She had been diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2020 and went through treatment. As her community supported her a lot during that time, she decided to do something special for them with her lottery money, per WPRI 12.
Melissa had been diagnosed with breast cancer and went through surgery on September 25, 2020, during the pandemic. "On Sept. 25, 2020, Dr. Doreen Wiggins did a double mastectomy and removed 14 lymph nodes," the woman recounted with tears in her eyes. She had started working at a cafe, JJ’s Cafe in West Warwick, as a cleaner just a year before her diagnosis. "I said, 'You need someone to clean this place and I need a job.' I got hired to clean at first." Melissa went above and beyond at her job. She cleaned the place, decorated it and more. So when she received her diagnosis, the team at the cafe helped her in all the ways they could and offered her support.
They held fundraisers for her to help her with her treatment and other expenses when she couldn't work. The woman was really thankful for everything the staff did for her. However, she had no idea that she would get a chance to pay them back in such a way. She hit a jackpot while playing Keno. "I have a little bit of a Keno issue." Melissa was in complete disbelief as she processed her win and announced the same to her co-workers. "I said, 'Oh my God, you guys, I just won $12,000.' They go, 'Poor thing, she can't count zeros.' Nobody believed me, so I showed them the picture!" It was her co-workers' turn to be surprised next.
"They go, 'You've got to be kidding me! You won!'" Melissa went on. The woman was glad that she learned about her win from the cafe, a place that meant so much to her. To thank her co-workers for everything they did for her, she bought Christmas gifts for everyone from her winnings. "I bought some nice Christmas gifts for everybody," an excited Melissa remarked. "They're so close to me. If I didn't have everybody here, I would have been a psychological mess," the woman went on. Melissa still wanted to play Keno from the cafe after her win. Her co-workers were really thankful to her for her generosity.
"She's very giving, very loving, even though she doesn't have much," Amanda Bodington, one of her co-workers, told the outlet. "She's always there for somebody. She's always thinking about somebody, always. Even without the $12000, she is our girl." The woman had started making wreaths for people during the pandemic as she got treated for cancer. Now, with her lottery money, she was planning to make more wreaths for everyone to celebrate the holiday season.