Dr. Shirley Press is a board certified, pediatric emergency medicine physician, writer and lottery winner. She is the author of Pressing My Luck, her memoir, and has written over 20 published articles/chapters in her medical field.  A graduate of Brandeis University and Hahnemann Medical College, now Drexel University College of Medicine, Dr. Press has 30+ years of experience treating children with acute medical conditions. For twenty years, she served as the Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, FL.  Even with her writing activities and serendipitous lottery win, Dr. Press continues to work at Jackson part time.

PRESSING MY LUCK

A Doctor’s Lottery Journey – A Memoir

IN 2001, I was your typical, hard-working pediatric emergency room doctor…until I won 56 million dollars (17.5 million take home) in the Florida Lottery with a ticket bought in the hospital’s gift shop. This stroke of luck brought with it numerous challenges as well as self-discovery.

In my memoir, Pressing My Luck, I take readers on a tour of my life and candidly look back on how the lottery windfall affected it. I recall my childhood in Camden, New Jersey growing up with parents who were Holocaust survivors, my determination to become successful, the wild 1970 summer adventure at Paul McCartney’s house and the years dedicated to practicing medicine. And despite my lottery fortune, I reveal how money didn’t shield my family from life’s adversities, such as my husband’s near fatal illness and my son’s drug addiction.

Published in 2013, Pressing My Luck is an exploration of my life – pre and post lottery. In the end…I realize that most of the confidence and personal growth, which I attributed to winning the Lotto, could have been achieved without the money.

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Pressing My Luck: A Doctor’s Lottery Journey  by Shirley Press, MD is available at:

PHOTOS

  • January 2016 - Dr. Shirley Press at home
  • JMH Gala - Shirley Press and her daughter - January 23, 2016
  • Dr. Shirley Press in her office - 2012
  • Dr. Shirley Press at work with patient - Jackson Memorial Hospital
    Dr. Shirley Press with patient - Jackson Memorial Hospital
  • Dr. Shirley Press at Bal Harbour next to Brito Bear
    Dr. Shirley Press at Bal Harbour next to Brito Bear
  • Dominican Republic - Medical Mission - March 2012
  • Shirley Press 1970 in Paul McCartney's house
    Shirley Press 1970 in Paul McCartney's house
  • Shirley Press in Paul McCartney's house
    Shirley Press in Paul McCartney's house
  • Shirley Press - 8th birthday
    Shirley Press' 8th birthday