The winner of a historic $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot has been revealed as an immigrant from Laos who is battling cancer and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
The winner of a historic $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot has been revealed as an immigrant from Laos who is battling cancer and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, 46, of Portland, told a news conference held by the Oregon Lottery that he and his wife, Duanpen Saephan, 37, would split the prize evenly with a friend who contributed $100 to buy some tickets with them, Laiza Chao, 55, of Milwaukie. They are taking a lump sum payment, $422 million after taxes. “I am grateful for the lottery and how I have been blessed,” he said, adding that his “life has been changed”.
“I will be able to provide for my family and my health… I’ll find a good doctor for myself.”
He said that as a cancer patient, he wondered, “How am I going to have time to spend all of this money? How long will I live?”
After they bought the shared tickets, Chao sent a photo of the tickets to Saephan and said, “We’re billionaires.” It was a joke before the actual drawing, he said, but the next day it came true. According to Saephan, he called Chao to tell her the life changing news.
