Lucky Cancer Survivor Wins $1.3 Billion Powerball Jackpot and Beats Odds Once Again: A Tale of Serendipity and Divine Intervention

Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, a native of Laos who has been fighting cancer for eight years, recently received chemotherapy and won the $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot along with his wife and friend. The trio opted for the cash option of over $422 million after taxes, with Saephan receiving 25% and Chao taking 50%. 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.

Saephan’s 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 was sold at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland, earning the store a $100,000 bonus. Saephan used the Quick Pick option to generate the winning numbers and attributes his win to divine intervention, saying that God picked the numbers for him. When he found out about his win, he called Chao, who had contributed $100 towards the lottery tickets, and told her to skip work because they had won the jackpot.