He is the winner of one of the biggest numbers in the Powerball game and has entered history not only for the amount won, but also for the story of his life. Cheng Seaphan is an immigrant from Laos but lives in Portland, America.
Just when he least expected it, due to health problems and an eight-year battle with cancer, Cheng bought a lottery ticket that paid off incredibly. The 46-year-old won the big jackpot of 1.3 billion dollars. Although he had another round of chemotherapy last week, fate rewarded him in an incredible way.
The winner said he and his wife, Duanpen, plan to split the prize with a friend who contributed $100 to buy the ticket, while the rest of the money will go toward his medical treatment.
"I will be able to take care of my family and my health," he said.
Saephan, who has two young children, said that as a cancer patient, he wondered: “How will I have time to spend all this money? How long will I live?" Cheng was born in Laos and moved to Thailand in 1987 before immigrating to the US in 1994. During the conference he wore a T-shirt identifying himself as the Yu Mien, a Southeast Asian ethnic group living in southern China. .
Saephan finished high school and worked as a machinist for an aircraft company.
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Source: NBC News