19-year-old Megan Pederson from Germantown had the surprise of a lifetime at Fiserv Forum Wednesday night, March 20.
Pederson has had some rough days battling a rare diagnosis. Zach Bryan’s music is her lifeline.
"His music just isn't music to me. It's my escape. It's my everything,” Pederson explained.
When she hears his lyrics, she escapes from a scary and painful reality. She has suffered four vascular compression syndromes over the past four years.
"The pain is compared to stage four pancreatic cancer pain,” she explained.
The pain is caused by Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome. Pederson said, "MALS cuts off the blood supply to your digestive organs, so they don't really function the way they should."
She said many doctors don't even know how to treat this rare syndrome.
With tears streaming down her face, she explained what it’s like to not have answers for her rare sickness. "It was like a nightmare that I couldn't escape. Like everything I once knew was gone,” Pederson said.
However, in the summer of 2023, she went to Oklahoma for treatment.
"We had 62 days of the worst days of our lives there but also 62 of the best days of our life,” Pederson said.
She got to attend her first Zach Bryan concert in his home state of Oklahoma. It's there where she met Zach’s dad, Dwayne.
"We had an instant connection,” Pederson explained. She said he is the most down-to-earth person she has ever met.
For months, Dwayne would check in on her. Then last November he surprised her with an invite to see Zach in Milwaukee. It was just the medicine she needed to keep pushing through the pain.
"That countdown was once so big. We didn't know if I would make it another day, another week. We didn't know if I would make it until Christmas, let alone the concert,” Pederson explained.
Little did she know what was planned. She got a signed guitar, a hug, and a chance to hang out backstage with the singer and songwriter.
"I kind of thought I was going to pass out at the moment,” she explained.
Megan says the best moment was getting to thank Zach for being her "revival".
"Mentally, his music has gotten me through a hundred percent of my worst days, and I firmly believe that’s the reason why,” Pederson said.
Through Zach's lyrics and kindness, she does not fear tomorrow.
If you would like to help Pederson on her journey, you can do so here.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
