INNISFAIL - It was 17 months ago when Jolene Bjarnason was driving home from Calgary after taking cherished friend Patty Connon for eye surgery that she miraculously cheated death on the highway.
Bjarnason had just seen a sign on the QEII highway that Bowden was close and they would soon be home.
"I saw the overpass for Bowden ahead. In my head I thought, 'Oh good, we are just about home,' and that was the last thing I remember until the truck stopped," she said.
Bjarnason had crashed into the QE II median, knocking out at least 15 posts over a distance of about a kilometre. Her new $110,000 Cadillac Escalade was a wreck.
"We were both fine. Neither one of us had a scratch. Nobody else was hurt," she said "She (Patty) went home. I went to work."
It was another miracle for Bjarnason, who was still savouring the relief and joy of another.
Three years earlier doctors said she had advanced breast cancer. Bjarnason went through 27 weeks of chemotherapy and 19 days of radiation. She had a double mastectomy that was followed by a 12-hour reconstructive surgery.
"I survived all of that, and now I can say, and it's 2019, that in September it will be four years that I am cancer free, so I am already a winner," she said.
But the divine forces of good fortune were still not finished with Bjarnason, whose community-minded compassionate spirit had for years touched the lives of countless citizens in Innisfail and beyond.
At about 8 p.m. on Feb. 28, following her catering shift at the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion, she received a phone call while in her truck to head home to meet her husband Grant for a night out for dinner.
At first she thought it was another call for catering services. But the voice on the phone asked if she had any idea why he was calling.
She paused and then a sudden notion came. "It hit me. I said, 'Are you phoning me to tell me I won the dream home?'" she recalled. And yes, Bjarnason was told she was the winner of the 37th Annual Red Deer Kinsmen Dream Home Lottery, specifically a new four-bedroom house, built by True-Line Homes, valued at $750,750.
"And I cried a lot. Oh my God, I cried because it is so beautiful, and I didn't feel deserving of something that nice," said Bjarnason, who went with Grant to Red Deer the same night to take a look at their new house.
"It is warm and inviting," said Bjarnason of her new home. "I am a firm believer in positivity. When I walked in there was a candle holder on the table that says, 'Be grateful,' and I am the most grateful person. Anyone who knows me knows I am grateful for anything I get."
It is nearly 24 hours later on March 1, and Bjarnason is exhausted. She admits she did not sleep "a wink" the night before after learning she won the dream home.
"It is still not believable to me. It hasn't sunk in that I just won a $750,000 house," she said. "Everyone else wins lotteries. Local girls don't win lotteries, but this local girl did."
Bjarnason still went to work the next day at the legion. Her devoted friend Patty Connon was at her side, smiling proudly for the good fortune coming to her dear friend.
"I could not be happier for her. She is an amazing person, an amazing friend, and she is my bestie. I am so happy for her," said Connon. "I just love her."
That day, and throughout the next week, hundreds of Innisfailians as well as other citizens beyond, took to social media to offer their heartfelt congratulations and best wishes for Bjarnason. She has not decided yet how the new home will fit into her life. She will officially claim it at the end of the month when all the paperwork is completed.
In the meantime, Bjarnason, who currently lives on an acreage with her husband five kilometres east of Penhold, will continue to be the beloved caterer and friend to all at the Innisfail legion. With cancer beaten, a near-fatal car crash behind her, and now a life of home comfort ahead, her mission today is to celebrate the miracles by being an example of gratitude in action.
"I didn't need to win a house but I am so fortunate that I did because according to doctors I am not supposed to be here. I am an anomaly," she said with tears beginning to roll down her cheek. "So positivity works. It really does. And being grateful."
