After an eight-year battle with cancer, Cheng “Charlie” Saephan has received chemotherapy and is now one of the three winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot this month. Sharing the prize with his wife, Duanpen Saephan, and friend Laiza Chao, the trio opted for the cash option of over $422 million after taxes, with Chao receiving 50% and the Saephans taking 25% each.
At an Oregon Lottery news conference, Saephan expressed happiness for his family but pondered how to spend the earnings given his ongoing battle with cancer. His plans include living a normal life and buying his family a dream home. This Powerball jackpot was the fourth-largest in history and the largest prize ever won in Oregon. The winning ticket, sold at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland, earned the store a $100,000 bonus.
Saephan attributes his win to divine intervention, saying that God picked the numbers for him. When he found out about his win, he called his friend Chao, who had contributed $100 towards the lottery tickets, and told her to skip work because they had won the jackpot.