Cheng "Charlie" Saephan, a 46-year-old immigrant from Laos living in Portland, recently won a staggering $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot. Despite battling cancer for eight years and undergoing recent chemotherapy, Saephan remains grateful for the win, intending to use his share to support his family and prioritize his health.

During a news conference held by the Oregon Lottery, Saephan announced that he and his 37-year-old wife, Duanpen, would keep half of the winnings, while the other half would go to their friend Laiza Chao, 55, from Milwaukie, who contributed $100 to purchase tickets with them. After taxes, they will receive a lump sum of $422 million.

As a cancer patient, Saephan expressed concerns about time and health, wondering how long he would live and how to manage such a vast fortune. The winning moment was initially joked about by Chao, who sent Saephan a photo of the tickets, proclaiming, "We're billionaires." The following day, their joke turned into reality.

When Saephan shared the news with Chao, she was on her way to work, but his call changed her plans: "You don't have to go anymore," he said.

Saephan, born in Laos and raised in Thailand before moving to the U.S. in 1994, proudly identifies as Iu Mien, an ethnic group originating from southern China. Many Iu Mien individuals assisted American forces during the Vietnam War, seeking refuge in Thailand and eventually resettling in the U.S. Saephan, who has lived in Portland for 30 years and works as a machinist, aims to use his winnings to support his family and find top-notch medical care for his ongoing health battle.

Cheng "Charlie" Saephan's journey to winning the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot involved not just chance but also faith and determination. In the weeks leading up to the drawing, he wrote down numbers for the game on a piece of paper and kept it under his pillow, praying for a win that would allow him to secure his family's future before facing his health challenges.

The winning ticket was purchased at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland in early April, breaking a months-long winless streak. However, the winner's identity had to go through a security and vetting process before being publicly announced, as Oregon law generally requires lottery winners to be identified. Winners typically have a year to claim their prizes.

The jackpot, with a cash value of $621 million before taxes for a lump sum payout, represents the fourth largest Powerball jackpot and the eighth largest among U.S. jackpot games, according to the Oregon Lottery. The prize is subject to federal and state taxes, including those in Oregon where the ticket was purchased.

This massive jackpot is a reminder of the unpredictability and life-changing potential of lottery games, with the largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won being $2.04 billion in California in 2022.