FULTON - Tia Colvin has a difficult time asking for help. But as the first wave of about 50 people came to the Elks Lodge on Pierce Drive and sat down for a benefit dinner Sunday, she was glad she did.

The fundraiser will help her pay some medical bills for her 8-month-old son, Jacob, who suffers from multiple seizures each day due to a rare disease. Since Jacob started experiencing the violent seizures four months ago, the bills have been piling up for Tia and her husband, Rob.

“This will help with some of the costs that Medicaid doesn't cover,” Tia Colvin said.

Colvin cannot work because of a disability and caring for Jacob has made maintaining a long-term job hard for her husband.

The couple is making numerous trips to Strong Hospital in Rochester, where doctors are trying to make Jacob's disease more manageable.

The financial strain eventually prompted Colvin to put out some jugs for charity at stores. The benefit dinner was suggested by one of the Auburn businesses.

“I've always been the kind of person who was family oriented, I keep to myself,” Tia Colvin said, while standing in front of a table full of donated goods to raffle off. “I'm so touched that these people see my son, see there's a problem and offer to help.

“I cry several times daily,” she said.

The spasms are a specific type of seizure seen in an infant epileptic known as West syndrome, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Onset is predominantly in the first year of life, between 3 and 6 months. The common sign is a sudden bending forward and stiffening of the body, arms and legs.

“The problem is that nobody knows what causes it,” Rob Colvin said. “They can't fix it completely.

“I wish there was something more I could do,” he said while surveying a crowd of family, friends and strangers who turned out for the spaghetti dinner.

The couple has found a close friend in Bob Granato, co-owner of Auburn Eye Care, who related to the Colvins' story that appeared this summer in The Citizen.

“His son had the same thing and was treated by the same doctor 20 years ago,” Tia Colvin said.

Disc jockey John Johnson of Sterling was also touched by the story and gave the couple a big discount and found a venue for the benefit in the Elks Lodge.

“I saw the baby and just fell in love with him,” said Johnson, owner of Bits & Pieces Karaoke. “It takes your heart away.

“I'm hoping maybe this will help,” he said.

The money collected Sunday will be deposited in an account in the Auburn branch of Key Bank, 110 Genesee St. Future donations will be accepted at the branch.

Staff writer Shane Liebler can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or shane.liebler@lee.net