PHILIPSBURG — The Marko twins have been suffering major seizures from epilepsy for years. Sometimes, they’ve been so bad, either Megan or Morgan have had to be life-flighted for medical assistance.
Though you might not know it from talking to them, the girls can’t do a lot of the things your average 19-year-old can do, such as get a driver’s license. They each have to take 20 pills a day to manage their affliction. Now, they’re trying to get a service dog that can sense when the girls are on the verge of a seizure.
“One of these alert dogs costs anywhere between $18,000 and $20,000 — they’re very expensive,” said Steve Marko, the girls’ father. “(The girls) are absolutely sweetheart girls. They are down to earth, sweet young girls who I’ve never seen in a bad mood, complain about taking medication, or anything like that. They’re just trying to lead a normal life like everyone else.”
To help raise money to purchase a service animal, the Wagon Wheel Amphitheater in Philipsburg is donating its event space for an all-day concert starting at noon on Saturday. From event organizer Randi Twoey:
“With the permission of Steve, Angel (the girls’ mother) and the girls, I have shared their story and started a GoFundMe page as an attempt to raise money for a service dog, and to help alleviate some of the financial burden!
“There will also be a benefit concert held at the Wagon Wheel Amphitheater in Philipsburg on Saturday, Aug. 29. We will be planning on holding a corn hole tournament, 50-50, basket raffle, side-by-side show and plan to find a wide array of the best, talented, local musicians from the area to play the benefit. I hope to make this an all-day event.”
Admission is $10 and parking is $5 and all proceeds will go toward helping the twins acquire a seizure response dog.
The GoFundMe campaign has raised more the $4,000 to date for the Markos. A Facebook fundraiser also raised nearly $3,000.
“It’s a community effort,” said Steve Marko. “A lot of people are reaching out, supporting us. We are so grateful for everyone who has just stepped up, and we’ve been so thankful for everything everyone has done for us, and especially for the girls. They’ve been through a lot.”
