The odds of winning the California Mega Millions lottery are 1 in 176,000,000. The odds of picking all five and the mega number in the California Superlotto are 1 in 41,416,353. Even the most optimistic person would consider those to be very long odds and something that as much as one might wish or hope, will probably never happen to you or someone you know.
Better but Worse Odds?
Much better, at 1 in 50,000, but something that no one would wish for themselves or anyone, are the odds of being born with a very rare life-threatening disease that will put you in a wheel chair in your teens and eventually kill you at too young an age. Most people would not want to consider the odds of knowing someone with this type of disease, but if you live in Santa Clara and have seen students in high school or the DeJaVu Jazz Band, you might have seen Matt Rupel.
When Matt was 13 years old, he was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia (FA). FA is a very rare, life-threatening disease causing progressive damage to the nerves and muscles. Basically, the disease takes great kids and young men, and, for lack of a better term, hurts them. They’re still the same great people; however...
