PORTLAND, Ore. —A Portland man, his wife, and their friend are making history as the winners of the 4th largest Powerball Jackpot. Husband and wife Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and their friend Laiza Chao from Milwaukie are the lucky winners of the $1.3 billion Powerball Jackpot.
The winners were announced at an Oregon Lottery news conference Monday afternoon.
Saephan was the only person in the country to match all 5 numbers plus the Powerball. The win is by far the biggest prize ever won in Oregon. Previously the largest Powerball prize won in Oregon was a $340 million jackpot in 2005.
Saephan who has battled cancer was relying on a combination of faith and luck when he purchased over $20 tickets for the drawing. “I pray for blessing and my prayers were answered and my life has been changed. Now I can bless my family and find a good doctor for myself.”
In the weeks leading up to the jackpot, he wrote out numbers from the game on a piece of paper and slept with it under his pillow. He says his prize will allow him and his family to live worry-free in light of his illness.
After discovering he had the winning ticket he called his wife to share the news with her. He asked where she was and she said on her way to work. That’s when he said you don’t need to go anymore.
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