Resident's lucky streak paying off in tough times

On Oct. 16, Sherry Barnett, a 44-year-old Bowling Green resident, purchased a $5 lotto ticket from Gas America, 2030 E. National Ave., Brazil. After winning $10, she sent her boyfriend back into the service station to purchase a $10 ticket. His return would mark an emotional turnaround for a down-on-her-luck Barnett.

Using her "lucky quarter," a 1965 coin with which she shares a birth year, scratched into her "Topaz Treasure" ticket and saw her $10 investment ended rewarding her with $50,000.

"It was very nice," Barnett said of her winning ticket. "It was a very exciting experience."

The experience couldn't have come at a better time. Barnett went to the station following a trip to the doctor, as she had been battling a string of kidney stones. She had surgery Friday to combat these stones. Barnett said bills and her sting of medical hardships caused her to go through her winnings very quickly, but was grateful the money was there to aid her in a time of duress.

"It didn't take long to go through the money at all," Barnett said. "But it was very helpful in my current situation."

Financial aid in a medical crisis wasn't the only stroke of good luck the ticket provided for Barnett. In the moments after sending her boyfriend back into Gas America, a traffic accident occurred in front of the store. Barnett said she believed there was a very good chance had she not elected to get her second ticket at that time, she would have been involved in the accident. She called the incident "very ironic."

Despite going through a costly medical ordeal, Barnett said she never lost hope things would work in her favor, and her winning ticket served as validation for her optimistic outlook.

"Everything happens for a reason," Barnett said.