A 46-year-old man in Portland, USA made headlines worldwide today after he was announced as one of the winners of the USD1.3 billion or approximately RM6.197 billion Powerball jackpot, the 4th largest Powerball jackpot in history and the 8th largest among USA jackpot games.
As reported by AP News, the man, Cheng Saephan, affectionately known as Charlie, is a Southeast Asian immigrant from Laos and has been suffering from cancer for 8 years, with his latest chemotherapy treatment being just last week.
From immigrant to winning billions
Saephan was born in Laos and moved to Thailand in 1987, before eventually immigrating to the USA in 1994.
He graduated from high school in 1996 and has lived in Portland for 30 years, where he worked as a machinist for an aerospace company.
Saephan is a proud Iu Mien, an ethnic group from Southeast Asia with roots in Southern China and wore traditional clothes and a sash identifying himself as an Iu Mien people during the new conference of his jackpot win.
There’s a large community of Iu Mien people on the West Coast of the USA, including Portland. The ethnic group was subsistence farmers and assisted American forces during the Vietnam War.
After the war, many had to flee to Thailand to avoid retribution and immigrated to the USA.
Saephan is sharing the prize with his friend
The USD1.3 billion jackpot has a cash value of USD621 million or RM2.9 billion if Saephan chooses to take a lump sum rather than an annuity paid over 30 years, with an immediate payout followed by 29 annual instalments. The prize is also subject to federal and state taxes in the USA.
Accordingly, Saephan opted to take the lump sum payment, which amounted to USD422 million or ~RM2.01 billion after taxes.
Furthermore, the jackpot winner said that he and his wife 37-year-old wife are taking half the money, while the rest is going to his friend, 55-year-old Laiza Chao who chipped in USD100 or RM497 to buy a batch of tickets with the couple.
“I don’t want to die yet unless I have something for my family first”
As for what he’s doing with the winning, Saephan said that he will be able to provide for his family and “find a good doctor” for himself.
Being a cancer patient, Saephan, who has 2 young children said that he wondered how is he going to have time to spend all the money and how long will he live.
Saephan also shared that in the weeks leading up to the jackpot drawing, he wrote out numbers for the game on a piece of paper and slept with it under his pillow.
He prayed that he would win, saying,
“I need some help — I don’t want to die yet unless I have done something for my family first.”
So, what do you guys think of Saephan’s incredible story? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Also read: Woman in China Wins RM4.4 Million Lottery, Discovers That She Left Winning Ticket in Her Laundry
