<prompt> Human: So brother in law has brain cancer and has about 2-5 yrs to live but wont be able to work. His motor skills havr taken a step back. My sister is in MRI tech school full time and they have 3 kids. The family is stepping up to help, but the hospital bills, and daycare, etc. is mounting.I am helping her out, but I began looking for a better paying job to help out even more. I want the kids to have food, clothes, bithdays, and be as normal as possible. Had some interviews and got an offer for 10k more than my current job. I accepted. The company I work for is doing so so and budget is tight, so I never even thought of asking for more money.Went to turn in my notice and the Director asked if he matched would I stay. I was baffled, but of course I would.He got the match, I will be able to send more to my sister, and I dont have to start a new job with a weird shift.He also had many words of praise about my work and said although budget is tight they want to keep the good people.Made my day, weekend, month.Lesson learned on asking for a raise. It never hurts to try.Edit: Wow! A ton of great stories, encouragment, and opinions. Thank you all?A little more background. I did get an offer letter for the raise.The CIO brought me in to her office and said she normally never saves people from leaving for the very reasons many of you have expressed if more money comes they will leave eventually anyways, but they love work and my attitude and it was a no-brainer for her. Some of you may say she is just saying that, and you could be right, but we had a heart to heart and talked about people we had lost and people we know who currently have a terminal illness.Will I retire from here? No. I am a Gen Xer35 and like to move jobs every 2-3 years to keep things fresh.Does their gesture make me want to more for them? Yes.I am in IT, and live in MN. IT jobs are everywhere and pay well. They know this yet gave the raise anyways.Edit 2: Thanks for all the support. Lots of good conversation from those in the same boat. Some have been burned, others had it worked out for them. I hope to be in the latter group and feel that I am. Time will tell.As for my brother in law and sister, its a long road ahead. The guy is so young 39. Embrace every moment folks. Tell everyone you care about that you care about them. Go on adventures. Live life. Become a Vikings fan! Later...  <response>: Be careful if the money is actually really tight where you work. Some bosses will do anything to keep the crew from abandoning a sinking ship. My previous employer offered me a 15K raise to slightly surpass what a new job was offering me but I declined because I was worried about the company finances I hadnt been seeing nearly the required amount of sales to support all our salaries. 4 months later and they went out of business. This person was fully willing to let me stay aboard the sinking ship even though I had found a great opportunity elsewhere. 