Powerball's $1.3BILLLION winner is revealed

• Cheng ‘Charlie’ Saephan, 46, claimed his $1.3billion Powerball prize
• Saephan, his wife Duanpan and their friend Laiza Chao all chipped in on tickets 
• The trio have taken a lump sum payment of $422million after taxes

A lucky Oregon Powerball winner has claimed the whopping $1.3billion Powerball prize.

Cheng ‘Charlie’ Saephan, 46, of Portland, spoke at a Monday news conference y and shared his excitement and gratitude for winning the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history earlier this month.

Saephan, an immigrant from Laos who has been battling cancer for eight years, will split the $1.3billion prize with his wife Duanpen, 37, and their friend Laiza Chao, 55.

Chao chipped in $100 to buy a batch of tickets with the couple. After taxes, the trio have taken a lump sum payment of $422million.

‘I had a feeling and said, like, “I can win it, I can win it,” but I didn’t think I was going to win this big,’ Saephan said.

The father-of-two said that he plans to spend the money on his family and ‘find a good doctor’ for himself. He had his latest chemotherapy treatment just last week.

Cheng ‘Charlie’ Saephan, 46, of Portland, came forward as one of the three Powerball winners after the winning ticket was drawn earlier this month. He, his wife and a friend won $1.3billion

Saephan, his wife Duanpen, 37, and their friend Laiza Chao, 55 will split the prize. Chao chipped in $100 to buy a batch of tickets with the couple

In the weeks leading up to the drawing, Saephan said  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.’

The winning ticket with the numbers 22-27-44-52-69 and a Powerball of 9 on it was bought by the trio at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland.

After they bought the shared tickets, Chao sent a photo of the tickets to Saephan and said, ‘We´re billionaires.’

At the time, it was a joke before the actual drawing, but the next day they won.

Chao was on her way to work when Saephan called her with the news: ‘You don’t have to go anymore,’ he said.

Both Chao and Duanpen chose not to be on camera for the announcement of the winner. Under state law, with few exceptions, lottery players cannot remain anonymous. Winners have a year to claim the top prize.

Saephan said he also called his mother and told her about his new found riches.

‘I called my mom. “Mom, we’re rich!” She says, “Rich? How rich?” I say, “Really rich!”‘

Saephan is an immigrant from Laos who has been battling cancer for eight years. He had his latest chemotherapy treatment just last week. (pictured: a collage of pictures of him getting chemotherapy)

The winning ticket with the numbers 22-27-44-52-69 and a Powerball of 9 on it was bought by the trio at a Plaid Pantry convenience store in Portland

As a cancer patient, Saephan said when he won he worried about ‘How am I going to have time to spend all of this money? How long will I live?’

It is unclear what kind of cancer he has. He has been living on disability, according to CBS News.

In a Facebook post, Saephan posted a picture of himself smiling wide with the massive check over his head.

‘I just want to thank y’all for the calls and texts of congratulations. One ticket is all it takes,’ he wrote.

‘I can’t just contain this blessing any longer. This is like a dream come true for us. I will support families who also have dreams of financial liberation.’

Saephan was born in Laos and moved to Thailand in 1987 at the age of 10, before immigrating to the US in 1994.

He wore a sash at the news conference identifying himself as Iu Mien, a southeast Asian ethnic group with roots in southern China.

Many Iu Mein were subsistence farmers and assisted American forces during the Vietnam war. After the conflict, thousands of Iu Mien families fled to Thailand to avoid retribution and eventually settled in the US.

He graduated from high school in 1996 and has lived in Portland for 30 years. He worked as a machinist for an aerospace company.

‘I can’t just contain this blessing any longer. This is like a dream come true for us. I will support families who also have dreams of financial liberation,’ Saephan said in a Facebook post

Saephan was born in Laos and moved to Thailand in 1987 at the age of 10, before immigrating to the US in 1994. (pictured: a collage of pictures of him when he was younger labeled ‘When I was healthy’)

‘I love Oregon. I been here 30 years, so I love Oregon. I’m not gonna move out- I stay in Oregon,’ he said at the press conference.

The Oregon Lottery said it had to go through a security and vetting process before announcing the identity of the person who came forward to claim the prize.

The jackpot had a cash value of $621million before taxes if the winner chose to take a lump sum rather than an annuity paid over 30 years, with an immediate payout followed by 29 annual installments.

The prize is subject to federal taxes and state taxes in Oregon.

The $1.3 billion prize is the fourth-largest Powerball jackpot in history, and the eighth largest among US jackpot games, according to the Oregon Lottery.

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