Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation

Every March, Albertans look forward to two things: the arrival of spring and Full House Lottery.

Full House Lottery launched its 23rd consecutive year on March 31, 2016. As usual, this year's lottery boasts more than 2,000 prizes worth over $6.6 million - great prizes for a great cause.

Proceeds from this year's Full House Lottery will support the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the University of Alberta Hospital with the purchase of specialized equipment designed to support the 1.1 million patients the hospitals serve every year.

With the support of Full House, the Royal Alexandra Hospital is enhancing patient care at the world-class Eye Institute of Alberta to better serve the more than 45,000 patients who require treatment there every year. Lottery proceeds will also fund the Ophthalmic Surgical Skills Centre, an important training facility where residents as well as experienced surgeons will be able to advance their skills in intricate surgeries of the eye.

On hand at the Full House launch was Cody and Korina Parent, who shared the story of how their young son Vaughn received excellent patient care at the Eye Institute of Alberta.

When Vaughn was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma as an infant, he was treated by Dr. Karim Damji and Dr. Carlos Solarte at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. What would be a challenging situation for an adult was even more so for a 2-year old boy.

“The nature of Vaughn's treatment meant that he often had to be sedated," explained Korina. "It’s hard to explain to your kid why he can’t eat and how he’s going to fall asleep for awhile and then wake up feeling funny. An adult will be able to cope with these things, but it’s really tough when you’re a child.”

"It was a long road from diagnosis to treatment and surgery," said Korina. "And then after surgery, Vaughn needed many follow up appointments. Dr. Damji took the time not only to treat Vaughn, but to educate us about his condition. Dr. Damji and all of the staff were great, especially the nurses, who were always a big help."

The Parents chose to support the EIA with a generous donation in 2014 which led to the purchase of a digital tonometer, a device used for measuring eye pressure on glaucoma patients. In the case of younger patients like Vaughn, digital tonometers greatly reduce the need for sedation – a gift for future families who may experience the same challenges as the Parents.

"We're happy that Full House Lottery is supporting the Eye Institute of Alberta this year," said Korina. "It was an important place for our family while Vaughn was being treated, and we know that it plays an important role to people all across Alberta with eye conditions.

Once again Full House Lottery offers Alberta’s richest Early Bird Prize featuring the 2016 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4, a trip for two to the Lamborghini factory in Bologna, Italy and $5,000 cash  ― a prize package worth a whopping $329,889. The early bird deadline for ticket sales is May 19, 2016.

Great prizes and a great cause - buy your Full House Lottery ticket today!