'I'll Never Forget That Day': Bucks County Family's Winning Eagles 50/50 Raffle Ticket Holds Special Place In Their Heart
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Breast cancer awareness is paying off big time for an Eagles fan and his family. Tuesday was payday for a 50/50 raffle ticket from the Eagles Crucial Catch game against the New York Jets, a game dedicated to cancer awareness. For a Bucks County family, it was a special game that led to a big check.
"Pay to the order Bruce Bachtle, $60,275.60," Bruce Bachtle read.
That was the winnings from an Eagles 50/50 raffle ticket that Bachtle bought during the Jets game.
A $60,275 pay day to an @Eagles fan who won the 50/50 raffle from the Crucial Catch game @AmericanCancer. #cbs3 at 6 I'll explain the breast cancer & autism connection. @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/z4yfCsM1Hu
— Stephanie Stahl (@StahlCBS3) November 5, 2019
"You don't really know who wins these things so to have that number come up when it did, it was unbelievable, a complete shock," Bachtle said.
Bachtle and his wife were at the game with his sister and brother-in-law. It was this year's Crucial Catch Game, dedicated to raising awareness about detecting cancer early.
It is always an important game for the family since Bachtle's sister-in-law, Julie Ambolino, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016.
"The mammogram ultrasound all came back clear but there was something not right," Ambolino said.
An MRI finally detected cancer which led to a double mastectomy. She is grateful to the Eagles and the NFL for their commitment to fighting cancer.
"I think that it's fantastic. I love seeing all the pink," she said.
The cancer cause is what got them to the game. The raffle tickets help support the Eagles Autism Foundation.
"It's for a great cause, it's a no-lose. On that particular day, I mean it was a win-win for everybody. It's a win for the Eagles, they beat the Jets. It's a win for the autism foundation, it was a win for all the cancer survivors," Bachtle said.
The final raffle jackpot for the game was $158,620. Half of that foes to the autism foundation and the other half goes to Bachtle .
It was a $20 raffle ticket with a big payday.
"Just the lucky 50/50 winner is what I am. I mean the real heroes are the people, the cancer survivors, and the caregivers. I think the Eagles are doing a great job," Bachtle said. "I'll never forget that day, you know it was a lot of great things that happened that day."
Bachtle says the money will go to pay tuition for his last child in college.