Surprise resident wins $100 'Fast Cash' prize

Recently, Pat Mattson almost tossed $1,000 in the trash.

Mattson was sorting through mail, deciding what could be discarded before she and her husband, Jack, left for a Mexico trip celebrating their 50th anniversary.

"I almost threw away the ‘Fast Cash’ drawing tickets," she said, "but then I thought, ‘Well, if I win, they can always leave a message.’"

The Surprise resident and hospice volunteer is glad she acted on that impulse. She won the $1,000 cash grand prize in the Sun Health Auxiliary’s annual holiday drawing. Winners of the two $500 prizes were Betty Drew of Sun City West and Bea McInerney of Sun City Grand.

Following the drawing Dec. 4, auxiliary chairperson Sandy Gialinas called each of the winners, leaving word on Mattson’s answering machine that she had won the grand prize.

During a layover in Houston on their way home, the Mattsons decided to call home to check messages.

"Jack was laughing and laughing, and I kept asking him, ‘What’s so funny?’" Mattson said. "He just told me, ‘I’m going to play this for you; you have to hear it yourself.’ I’m definitely glad I bought those tickets. With the money we spent celebrating our anniversary, the extra cash comes in handy at this time of year."

As a volunteer who has worked with hospice patients, Mattson chose to donate a portion of her winnings to Hospice of Arizona, which offers hospice care in facilities owned by Sun Health Services.

The drawing raised approximately $3,500 toward the purchase of an infusion pump for Banner Boswell Medical Center. The auxiliary’s next prize drawing is scheduled for the spring.

Gialinas appreciated the story behind Mattson’s "Fast Cash" win.

"We thank Pat so much for supporting the Sun Health Auxiliary’s drawing, for being a volunteer and also for possessing a giving attitude that embodies the spirit of voluntarism," Gialinas said. "I especially congratulate her and her husband on 50 years of marriage."

The drawing raised approximately $3,500 toward the purchase of an infusion pump for Banner Boswell Medical Center. The auxiliary’s next prize drawing is scheduled for the spring.