By Kristina Matheis

For the Herald

Kyle and Sarah Mergen of Rose Creek were blessed on Non. 22, 2013, with a happy healthy little boy, Adrian. Adrian has three siblings; Alizha, 11, Gavin, 9, and Taya, 4. After celebrating an amazing first Halloween as the Ninja Turtle Family, their lives were turned upside down.

The morning of Nov. 1, 2014, Kyle Mergen (father) was startled at the sudden change in his son as Adrian looked to the right and began turning blue. Immediately fearing his son was choking Kyle responded quickly to his son’s side. That afternoon, Kyle and Adrian met Sarah (mother) for lunch and Kyle shared the incident with her. Unsure of what had happened, they agreed to keep an eye out for any further events. At 6:30 that evening as Sarah played on the floor with Adrian; he sat up abruptly and looked to the right. Almost immediately his lips went white and his skin turned blue. For the next 90 seconds, Sarah and Kyle continued to try and get Adrian to respond to them as they rushed him to the emergency room. Adrian was diagnosed with acid reflux until as the Mergen’s were preparing to leave Adrian had his third and most severe seizure. His seizure lasted two and a half minutes. Adrian was admitted to St. Mary’s in Rochester for just over two days where he underwent 2 CT scans, 2 EEG’s, and 2 MRI’s. The findings from these tests showed seizure activity in his frontal lobe.

November 2014 resulted in 17 total seizures, endless nights without sleep, and a new fear for the entire family. The struggle this family is now faced with was evident as I watched tears flow from Sarah as she told me, “It’s kind of weird, you know, how one day you wake up and your whole life changes… I truly believe this has brought our family closer together…I really think he has taught us something. He (Adrian) is the strongest, sweetest little boy.”

Adrian is currently taking Keppra, a seizure medication, three times a day. His dosing however has increased to near the maximum. The Mergen’s are continually researching and seeking options for their son. Adrian has had two seizures that have taken his speech from him. He is currently doing in home therapy that works with sounds, words, and sign language. This provides the family communication with Adrian while his speech is impaired. Until recently, Adrian has been able to wear a small device at night that attaches to his diaper. This device vibrates every 15 seconds and goes off like an alarm clock at 1 minute when his breathing is altered by a seizure. Adrian, now 21 months old, has decided he is not OK with the device and will take it off and throw it at night. The family is actively applying for a seizure service dog for Adrian. The options are more limited for Adrian because of his age. A seizure dog would be trained to catch Adrian if he falls, roll him over during a seizure, and alert others when a seizure is happening.

Epilepsy [ep-uh-lep-see]: noun, pathology. A neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

A benefit for Adrian and his battle with epilepsy is being held Sept. 19 at Little Cedar Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall in Adams. A Free Will Pulled Pork lunch will be served from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

A Silent Auction is being held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you would like to donate an item for the Silent Auction, please contact Kristina Matheis at 507-582-1360 / 208-390-5074 or Sandy Johnson at 507-481-4393. You can also contact us by email at adriansday@gmail.com.

Professional Outdoor Portraits (family pets welcome, but not required) will be offered starting at 9 a.m. Receive an 8-by-10-inch portrait for $25 — $20 from each portrait will be donated to the Adrian Mergen Benefit. To reserve a portrait time, contact Kristina at 507-582-1360 or capturedportraitsbykristina@gmail.com.

Financial donations are being accepted at: United Farmers State Bank, ATTN: Adrian Mergen Benefit, P. O. Box 354, Adams, MN 55909. Find ADRIAN’S DAY event on Facebook for more information.