Wholesome winner is a fighter filled with love — and a lot of great luck

By Kate Northrop

A Minnesota woman battling an aggressive Stage 4 brain cancer won $100,000 on a Vikings sports-themed scratch-off lottery ticket, a prize that was "meant to be" for the fighting spirit she embodies.

During the most arduous time of her life, a Minnesota woman diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer won $100,000 on a scratch-off lottery ticket in a touching way.

Debbie Bury of Eden Prairie sat down with CBS News for an interview, where she revealed her passion for blackjack as a dealer. It's when things started to go awry in the game that she began to investigate her health a bit deeper.

"They [the cards] weren't coming together right," she told CBS News. "A lot of times you have to put cards in order... they didn't want to play with me. They were like, 'We're done with you. You don't have it anymore.'"

She found herself on the fifth floor of Methodist Hospital, where a doctor delivered the unfortunate news: she had Stage 4 brain cancer. Bury was in pure shock.

"All I see is black, and all I see is death," Bury recalled the moment she learned of her diagnosis.

Despite the findings, the great-grandmother found herself surrounded by friends and family.

"I would say the first day, I had about 26 friends come to see me," Bury told the interviewer.

Bury also became well-known and well-loved by the fifth-floor staff at the hospital.

"She was just a joy to the floor," Oncology Nurse Manager Andrea O'Hern related. "I made a crown for her, 'Queen of Methodist Hospital.' She was just loving it because she just lit up a room."

One day, a visitor brought Bury a small gift: A $5 "The Vikings Classic" scratch-off ticket, reminiscent of her favorite sports team.

Her love for the Minneapolis-based football team stems from her father, whose passion extended to her.

"That was my dad's life," Bury said softly.

When the family began looking at the scratch-off ticket, the energy in the room started to build up.

"Oh gosh you got a football [symbol] — Oh my goodness, I think you won a hundred bucks," Bury recalled. "He goes, 'Push it back, wait — you just won $100,000!'"

Melissa Cryer, Bury's daughter, said that her mother believed the ticket was fake.

"I go, 'No it's not, Mom. I play these scratch-offs.'" Cryer said. When the realization in the room hit a peak, she started crying.

"I just bawled," she continued. "I just could not believe it. It was just amazing."

O'Hern said that the news stirred a commotion at the hospital.

"There was an unbelievable eruption and people were like, 'What's happening, what's going on?'" O'Hern described. "Usually, when you have that, something bad happened, but she couldn't even speak. It's not all the time you get joyful surprises on the oncology floor. Just to see this is so different than what we see on the daily, and we get to celebrate with you."

Bury thinks that the win is a good omen for her future, and that the luck means things will start going her way again.

"It just felt like life is going to be good. It's just, it was meant to be," Bury said with tears welling up in her eyes.

The best update of all is the successful surgery Bury underwent, despite the aggressiveness of the cancer. Doctors said they hope it will give her six more years, but she is even more optimistic.

"I'm gonna live to be 80," she concluded.

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