One of the winners of a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot this month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
In a news conference hosted by the Oregon Lottery on Monday, Cheng "Charlie" Saephan, 46, of Portland, said that he and his 37-year-old wife, Duanpen, would be keeping half of the money, with the remaining portion going to a friend, 55-year-old Milwaukie, Portland resident Laiza Chao, because she contributed $100 to purchasing several tickets with them.
They are taking a lump sum payment of $422 million after taxes.
Saephan ]said that he could now provide for his family and health and added that he would now find a good doctor for himself.
Saephan, a father of two young children, said he wondered, "How am I going to have time to spend all of this money? How long will I live?"
They bought the pooled tickets, and Chao texted Saephan a picture of them, saying, "We're billionaires." He claimed it was a prank before the drawing, but they were the winners the next day.
Saephan told 55-year-old Chao over the phone as she was heading to work, "You don't have to go anymore."
For good luck, he allegedly wrote the numbers on a piece of paper and slept with it under his pillow in the weeks leading up to the drawing. He prayed for help, as he did not want to die yet unless he had done something for his family first.
If winners choose to take a lump sum payment rather than an annuity over 30 years, with an initial payout followed by 29 yearly installments, the jackpot has a cash value of $621 million before taxes. Both federal and Oregon state taxes apply to the reward.
According to the Oregon Lottery, the $1.3 billion prize is the fourth-largest Powerball jackpot in history and the eighth-largest among US jackpot games.
