Winner of $1.3 billion US Powerball jackpot is immigrant from Laos who is battling cancer
The father-of-two said he can now find a "good doctor" and that he and his wife plan to buy a home with their lump-sum winnings
A Laos-born immigrant battling cancer has been revealed as one of the winners of the huge $1.326 billion (€1.212bn) Powerball jackpot, Oregon Lottery officials revealed on Monday.
46-year-old Cheng Saephan, who immigrated to the US in 1994 and now lives in Portland, his wife Duanpen Saephan, 37, and friend Liza Chao, 55, were announced as winners of the Lotto draw that took place on April 6.
The jackpot won by Saephan and Chao is the fourth largest jackpot in Powerball history and the eighth-largest among US jackpot games, according to the Oregon Lottery.
READ MORE:Lotto player bags third big win in 12 months after scooping €150k prize
The lucky ticket matching all six Powerball numbers was sold at the Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland, Oregon. Saephan said that the numbers were chosen with quick pick.
Officials said Saephan decided to take his winnings as a lump sum, $422 million (€393.6m) after taxes, to be shared evenly with his wife and a friend. Saephan said his friend Chao is getting part of the winnings because she gave him $100 toward the purchase of the tickets.
Saephan was born in born in Laos and moved to Thailand in 1987, before immigrating to America in 1994.
The 46-year-old has been battling cancer since 2016 and he had his most recent chemotherapy treatment just a week ago before collecting his life-changing prize. The father-of-two worked as a machinist in the aerospace industry before his cancer diagnosis.
"I am grateful for the lottery and how I have been blessed," Saephan told reporters at a news conference Monday.
"I am able to provide for my family and my health. … My life has been changed. Now I can bless my family and hire a good doctor for myself."
Saephan said that he plans to first purchase a home for himself in his family in Oregon. He also said he will likely continue to play the lottery after his winnings.
"I might get lucky again," he said. "I'll keep playing."
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