BC Lotteries News Articles

New Westminster, BC, August 16, 2021 — Support BC’s most seriously ill and injured patients by taking part in Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation’s 50/50 lottery. You could win big while supporting your healthcare heroes!

The jackpot is nearing $40,000, how high will the jackpot climb? When your healthcare heroes win, so do you!

Tickets are 10 for $10, 50 for $20 and 200 for $40!

Deadline to purchase tickets is Wednesday, September 1^st, 2021 at 11:59:59pm. Enter now for a chance to win big and help Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. The lucky winner gets half the final jackpot!

Buy tickets today! Tickets must be purchased on their website.

About Royal Columbian Hospital

From the beginning, Royal Columbian Hospital has stood at the heart of health care in British Columbia. Created by visionary pioneers to provide compassionate care to those building a new province, we have participated in the social and economic changes of British Columbia since 1862. Today, we are one of British Columbia’s busiest hospitals, serving a population of more than 1.8 million people. We are a regional referral hospital for cardiac, trauma, neurosciences, high-risk maternity and neonatal intensive care. No other hospital in the province provides all of these services, at this level of care, on one site. We provide the highest level of care to the most critically ill and injured from throughout the province.

The Impact of Royal Columbian Hospital

After Kulwant Samra tested positive for COVID-19, the 51-year-old Abbotsford man isolated himself from his family in a room in his home. He was tired and short of breath in the first half of June 2020, as businesses and schools in the province were re-opening following the initial protective measures taken during the start of the pandemic. Kulwant was initially still able to work remotely for his trucking company, dispatching a driver by phone the day he truly became alarmed by how he felt. His last memory was leaving his home by ambulance, before waking up eight weeks later at Royal Columbian Hospital.

“I called 911, because I know my body,” Kulwant says. “I wasn’t able to stand up. I was not able to take a breath.”

Feeling dizzy, Kulwant fell to the ground outside his home as the ambulance arrived.

“I said, ‘Give me oxygen’. I was taking my breaths very heavy,” he recalls. After being placed in an ambulance, Kulwant remembers nothing until mid-summer.

“The day I opened my eyes, it was August 6th, about afternoon,” he says. The nurse was sitting in front of me. I had tubes in my mouth, nose, and everywhere.”

During the time in between, Kulwant was initially brought to his local hospital. His family grew increasingly worried that his condition was not improving. Eventually, he was transferred to Royal Columbian’s Intensive Care Unit.

“Mr. Samra was very sick with COVID19, and he required the full spectrum of care that an ICU can offer,” says Royal Columbian Hospital Medical Director and critical care physician Dr. Steve Reynolds. “Thankfully he responded well.”

After regaining consciousness in August, Kulwant connected with his daughter by video call from the ICU. Unable to speak because of the tubes in his mouth, Kulwant took pen to paper and wrote a brief message: 1-4-3, shorthand for ‘I love you.’

“She couldn’t understand what the 1-4-3 means,” he laughs.

Kulwant has developed a special affinity for those who cared for him, the nursing team in particular.

“They were so friendly that I cannot forget their service in my life at all,” he says. “Me, my wife and my daughter, we chat every day about them. And I do remember all of their names.”

Two weeks after his first memory of the ICU, Kulwant left Royal Columbian, going straight from the ICU to his home, 48 pounds lighter than before.

“We were all delighted to see him head home,” says Dr. Reynolds. “I cared for him early on in his illness when he was on life support. I came back a few weeks later, and you can imagine my surprise and pleasure at seeing him sitting up, waving and waiting to go home.”

Stand by our healthcare heroes and our patients, like Kulwant, by getting your tickets today. Not only are you supporting healthcare in BC, but you can win big too!

Discover more about the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation.

*open to BC residents only, must be 19+ to play, BCLC Licence #128587. Actual odds of winning are dependent on the number of tickets sold. Know your limit, play within it.

New Westminster, BC, August 11, 2021 — Help support exceptional care for BC’s most seriously ill and injured patients. Take part in Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation’s 50/50 lottery and you could win big while supporting your healthcare heroes.

How high will the jackpot climb? When your healthcare heroes win, so do you!

Tickets are 10 for $10, 50 for $20 and 200 for $40!

Buy tickets today! Tickets must be purchased on the website.

Deadline to purchase tickets is Wednesday September 1^st, 2021 at 11:59:59pm. Enter now for a chance to win big and help Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. The lucky winner gets half the final jackpot!

About Royal Columbian Hospital

If you or a loved one has come through our doors, you know why a third of British Columbians rely on Royal Columbian Hospital for critical care.

We are the only hospital in BC with trauma, cardiac, neurosciences, high-risk maternity & neonatal intensive care on one site. We are also one of Fraser Health’s three primary COVID-19 sites. We look after some of our province’s most seriously ill and injured patients. In addition, we are a teaching hospital and a UBC Clinical Academic Campus.

A Transformation in care for infants, children and their families

As a high-risk maternity centre, Royal Columbian is the only facility in BC with surgical and interventional services to treat pregnant patients with certain complex issues involving trauma or cardiology. The hospital provides comprehensive services for infants, children and their families, all of which will see major change with expanded facilities as part of redevelopment plans. With an entire floor devoted to both maternity and neonatal intensive care, along with a new pediatric department, there will be a significant emphasis on family-centered care.

As a referral centre for high-risk maternity, RCH delivers 3,000 babies annually – and with the Fraser Health region’s projected population growth, this number is sure to climb. These include pregnancies with co-existing health conditions, those at risk of delivering prematurely, and those diagnosed with severe obstetric complications. The new Acute Care Tower will house a new 48-bed Maternity department, with most rooms slated to be single-patient rooms to allow families the opportunity to bond in a private and dignified setting. In addition, inpatient and outpatient services for maternity care will be located together, allowing for a more connected health network and less stress for patients.

Our Variety Neonatal Intensive Care Unit cares for hundreds of critically ill babies each year. Born as young as 23 weeks, these babies come to us facing a number of life-threatening medical challenges. Since 1997, the Canadian Neonatal Network has recognized RCH’s NICU as consistently ranking among the top in the country for achieving excellent survival rates for babies who are born before their due date and very low rates of complications related to prematurity. To support babies in a precarious state of health, it’s essential that we have both the facilities and access to comprehensive technology. We envision a new NICU with the technology to care for our most fragile patients in a setting that allows families to bond in uncertain and overwhelming moments. The NICU will feature 24 single-patient rooms designed to support babies who require specialized one-to-one care. Most notably, these private rooms, with direct access to natural light, will provide the space and furnishings for families to stay with their baby overnight and develop long-term bonds. The NICU will also include respite space for families to gather, prepare snacks and participate in education sessions. In addition to offering cutting-edge technology, our goal is to create an environment that promotes healing, growth, and encourages bonding – which will give premature babies the best possible start in life. 

In addition to providing support during high-risk pregnancies and for newborns requiring critical care, Royal Columbian Hospital is a regional pediatric care centre. In the redevelopment, the Pediatric department will grow by four additional beds for a total of 16. The new pediatric unit will provide every child and family with their own private room with an ensuite washroom and a sleeping area. These changes are not only designed to increase capacity and efficiency; they will also allow for increased privacy, patient dignity, and family bonding. The pediatric unit, at just over 8,600 square feet, will also feature a playroom which will be a designated ‘no treatment’ area and will be equipped with games and toys for patients to enjoy. A kitchenette and family lounge will also be included.

Your ticket purchase helps us with these redevelopment plans, helps our healthcare heroes and helps to save lives. Not only are you supporting healthcare in BC, but you can win big too!

Discover more about the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation.

*open to BC residents only, must be 19+ to play, BCLC Licence #128587. Actual odds of winning are dependent on the number of tickets sold. Know your limit, play within it.