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One of the winners of a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos living in Portland, Oregon, who has been battling cancer for nearly a decade.
Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, 46, announced he and his 37-year-old wife, Duanpen, will split the winnings with a friend who chipped in $100 for a batch of lottery tickets.
“First, I want to thank God for giving me this beautiful prize,” Saephan said.
WATCH:
The winners of the $1.326 billion Powerball ticket were officially revealed by the Oregon Lottery on Monday. Cheng Saephan, an immigrant from Laos living in Portland, explained how life-changing the lottery win is amid his eight-year cancer battle. https://t.co/27dzuXgros pic.twitter.com/LVa9HcuiMq
— ABC7 News (@abc7newsbayarea) April 30, 2024
The Oregonian reports:
Cheng Saephan, his wife and Chao already have been paid — the couple taking half and their friend the other half — splitting the $422,309,193.97 that remained of the $1.326 billion prize after state and federal taxes, lottery spokesperson Melanie Mesaros said. They opted for the one-time payout rather than the 30-year annuity, which also brought the amount down.
Cheng Saephan, who was born in Laos and moved to the United States from Thailand in 1994, said he is especially grateful that he will be able to provide a comfortable life for his family, which includes two children he has with his wife. As for himself, he doesn’t believe he’ll have that much time to enjoy his winnings because he is in the midst of battling cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2016, he said. His most recent chemotherapy treatment was a week ago.
“How am I going to have time to spend all of this money?” Cheng Saephan said.
Cheng Saephan said he, his wife and their friend Chao bought 20 lottery tickets for $200. For several months before the big win he said he felt like he was going to win something — but he expected no more than several million, he said, not a jackpot in excess of $1 billion. He plans to buy a house with the money, he said.
The winners of the $1.326 billion Powerball ticket were officially revealed by the Oregon Lottery on Monday. https://t.co/aWQdvDaZax
— ABC News (@ABC) April 30, 2024
Immigrant Man Fighting Cancer Named As $1.3 Billion Lottery Winner https://t.co/otsagm89xw
— People (@people) April 30, 2024
Per ABC News:
The staggering $1.326 billion Powerball ticket was the fourth-largest Powerball jackpot in history and the eighth-largest among U.S. jackpot games, according to the Oregon Lottery.
On April 6, a lucky ticket matching all six Powerball numbers was sold at the Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland, Oregon, the state’s lottery announced at the time.
The numbers drawn for the jackpot were 22, 27, 44, 52 and 69, with a Powerball of 9, the lottery said.
“This is our first winner on this scale, so this is very exciting for us,” Melanie Mesaros, spokesperson for the Oregon Lottery told ABC News on April 7.
The lottery winners have the opportunity to accept a lump cash sum of $621 million or receive annual payouts of the $1.3 billion, also pre-tax — starting with one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year, the lottery said.
The jackpot is subject to federal taxes and state taxes in Oregon.
The Plaid Pantry location in northeast Portland will also receive a $100,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, according to the lottery.
