Oregon man who fought two kinds of cancer wins $1 million Powerball prize

A Warrenton man who has fought skin and brain cancer won a $1 million Powerball prize Saturday, the

Oregon Lottery

said.

Aaron Bendickson, 48, was medically retired from the U.S. Army after he was diagnosed with skin cancer at 23, the lottery said. He has since also battled brain cancer.

In 2022, Bendickson quit smoking, then funneled the money he previously spent on cigarettes towards Scratch-its and quick pick draw games. He didn’t realize he had won such a massive prize until he went to the Main Street Market — his local spot to play — and scanned his ticket.

Bendickson plans to buy a new home and surprise his son by paying off his car loan, the lottery said.

Gov. Tina Kotek

signed a bill into law last month

that will make all lottery winners in the state anonymous unless they agree to have their names released. The anonymity provision goes into effect later this year.

Last year, The Oregonian/OregonLive analyzed lottery data, including winners’ names, to find that millions of dollars in winnings have flowed to

a business in Australia

or been rerouted to local opportunists who

purchase scores of winning tickets from the true owners

at a discount, claiming the full prizes for themselves.

Ted Sickinger contributed to this report.

— Fedor Zarkhin is a breaking news and enterprise reporter. Do you have a story? Reach him by phone or text at 971-373-2905 or by email at


fzarkhin@oregonian.com


.

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