Local man to be remembered through epilepsy benefit
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

Michael Meehan

NORTH BRUNSWICK - Michael Meehan loved music and sports. A huge New York Yankees and Giants fan, he spent a majority of his days watching ESPN and a majority of his nights going out to clubs. He loved Pearl Jam, the Foo Fighters and Third Eye Blind as well as Notre Dame football. He had a good sense of style, keeping up with the latest fashions. He worked for both Cablevision in Piscataway and Kenneth Cole at the Menlo Park Mall while trying to earn a degree from DeVry University. He was very friend- and family-oriented, remaining local to be around the people he loved.

"He worked around the clock with two jobs and just fit in fun when he wasn't working," his friend Jared Krueger said. "He was the kind of guy that when you would drive up next to him, he didn't care who was looking at him, he just kept on singing."

In February 2006, Meehan, a 26-year-old North Brunswick and Kendall Park resident, was involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident in which his car rear-ended a tractor-trailer on Route 1. This June, his family and friends are hosting two events to benefit the Michael Meehan Emergency Medication Fund through the Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey.

Meehan had epilepsy, although not severely, and was on medication to prevent seizures. Because his medicine was extremely expensive - around several hundred dollars for one bottle alone - his parents decided to help other people with the illness who cannot afford their prescriptions.

"He was always between jobs, so he didn't always have full [insurance] coverage," Krueger said. "The fundraiser is to raise money for the emergency medication fund for people who don't have medical insurance and need funds to get money for it."

Last year, a fundraiser organized at the former Club Platinum in New Brunswick raised about $2,000.

This year, another event will be held at the Deko Lounge in Sayreville to promote his family's cause. The June 9 benefit is open to the public, age 21 and older, and 80 percent of the cover charge from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. will be donated to the foundation. The venue was chosen because of Meehan's affinity for the dance scene as well as the space Deko allows compared to other local clubs.

"We hope to raise a fair amount this year, but money is not an object as much as gathering everyone together to discuss his life," Michael's 23-year-old brother, Kevin, said. "He was my best friend, my brother. We did a lot of things first, like my first concert. I went to my first baseball game with him. I turned 21 and didn't get to enjoy going out much with him as I would've liked; he was five years older than me, so we didn't go out a lot and stuff. I feel I got held back so much more from what we could've done."

In addition, a private event will be held at Fire Company No. 3 on Cozzens Lane in North Brunswick, where Kevin is a volunteer firefighter, for friends and family to recollect and share their memories of Meehan. The barbecue will be held on June 16 from 2 to 10 p.m. Meehan's birthday was June 15.

"We want to remind ourselves that we lost him last year and that it's good for people to take a step back and remind ourselves about Mike," Krueger said.

Donations are welcome from local businesses for basket raffles to also benefit the foundation.

"He touched a lot of people," Krueger added about his best friend. "He was suave with the ladies, he was an outgoing kind of guy. He was really generous and selfless. … I've never had a brother, but he's probably the closest I've ever had to a brother."

For more information, contact Kevin at (732) 266-4321.