Cancer & the Lottery

By Brinton Woodall

Marisa is a twenty-one year old native New Yorker that wins the lottery.
What should have been celebrated as the greatest day in her life is foreshadowed by devastating news.
Within twenty-four hours of winning the lottery, Marisa finds out that her cancer is terminal.
Hearing this news, she takes her winnings and three best friends to explore different parts of the world.
Marisa tries to enjoy her last days on Gods green earth while attempting to also make amends with her mother and sister while also attempting to live out the last few days of her life to the fullest by exploring the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496964243

Brinton Woodall

Brinton was born in the Bronx, New York, and raised in the greater New York area. During his childhood years, numerous educators voiced to Brinton that he was learning disabled and would not graduate from high school. Nonetheless, Brinton excelled, triumphing a multitude of obstacles and graduated from high school in 2008. His education did not stop there. He enrolled at New England College, completing his degree in three years. Brinton received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a minor in Sociology in 2011. With a passion for expressing his life through words in order to touch the lives of others, Brinton continues to pursue his dream of becoming an established writer. His debut book, The Dreamer: The Boy Who Caught 22, was released in January 2014. The literary inspiration unveils the passionate journey to success despite coming from an economically depressed environment that lacks opportunities and hope. Jarred does not allow this to stop his dream to make his family proud and find what he defines as success. Unsure how he will reach this pinnacle, Jarred finds encouragement from his deceased grandfather, who enters his dreams. It is this encouragement that allows Jarred to follow his heart and create a world through faith. www.brintonwoodall.com

Book preview

Prologue

Marisa is a young Hispanic girl who is in her junior year of college. Marisa had a tough childhood. She had problems with the relationships that were vital in a child’s life. She has a lot of emotional issues and does not know where to place the blame, whether on herself or on her mother. Marisa has a problem with allowing herself to live for the moment; she’s used to having a plan for everything. She carries a book with her in she shares her most intricate thoughts and views.

Sarah is one of Marisa’s friends. She is twenty-one and Caucasian, Sarah usually has a positive outlook on life. Sarah is joyful by nature and has a good sense of humor. Sarah and Marisa met during their freshman year of college.

Melinda is a twenty-one-year-old Hispanic who has Native American features: flawless skin and long black hair. Her personality represents a typical Taurus. She prefers peace, but if someone barks up the wrong tree, she is one of the nastiest women that have ever been seen walking on God’s green earth. She also met Marisa in college.

Janice is African American and has been best friends with Marisa since the age of five. They both grew up in the same apartment building, and when Janice was eighteen years old, she moved in with Marisa. Janice has a big heart and is compassionate, especially when it comes to Marisa due to the problems Marisa dealt with as a child. Janice is Marisa’s confidant and protector; they are more like sisters than they are friends.

Marisa

I’ve been having this headache. I hope my doctor appointment goes well and that Professor Morry will have us eventually stop documenting our lives in this journal. This class was supposed to be an easy A. It has turned out to be one of the deepest classes I have ever taken. Professor Morry is all about finding what you’re destined to be. In our last class, Professor Morry asked us: If we could do three things to change our lives before we die, what would they be? The first thing I would do is travel and see parts of the world I have always dreamed of going to. If I could take one person to go with me, it would be Lisa. The second thing I want to do before I leave this earth is settle all my problems with my mom, and third, reunite with my sister. I hope I have more interesting things to write about, but this is a good start.

Marisa

The Classroom

Marisa is sitting in class listening to Professor Morry’s lecture on the theory of having a bucket list. Sitting next to Marisa is Sarah and Melinda. Professor Morry is in his early fifties and Caucasian.

Professor Morry says, OK, today I want to know what you think of dreams or goals. Does everyone get to complete their goals? Are we as humans afraid to reach our highest potential due to the fear of being completely submissive in faith? You can succeed or you can fail; there is not much in between. So to get back to my question, do all people that have the full capability of their minds make their dreams goals to be achieved in life?

Marisa says, If anything, we cut our dreams short.

Professor Morry says, That is an interesting take. Can you explain?

Marisa takes a deep breath to make sure she gets her point across. "Well, I think we need to ask ourselves: At what age do we start working toward our dreams? Think of your favorite artists or athletes. They work more than they dream. They envisioned success in their fields since they were kids. Most of us saw ourselves in college at a young age. That’s a dream that most have