'A whirlwind': 1st Ohio vaccine lottery winners speak out

The first winner of Ohio's $1 million Vax-a-Million lottery says she's still having a hard time believing it

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first winner of Ohio's first $1 million Vax-a-Million vaccination incentive prize was driving to her family's home in suburban Cleveland when she received a call about the good news — from Gov. Mike DeWine. A few minutes later Abbigail Bugenske was in her parents' house screaming so loudly they thought she was crying. “A whirlwind,” Bugenske, 22, said Thursday morning during a news conference. “It absolutely has not processed yet. I am still digesting it — and I like to say that it feels like this is happening to a different person. I cannot believe it.” Bugenske is a mechanical engineer working for GE Aviation in suburban Cincinnati, and has no plans to quit her job. She grew up in Shaker Heights near Cleveland and is a 2020 graduate of Michigan State University. She said she plans to donate to charities and buy a car, but then invest most of it.