What You Might See on the Max Dobner 'Today Show' Piece

An Aurora mother on Thursday morning will go before a national audience to talk about how a substance available in tobacco stores played a role in her son's death.

Karen Dobner is set to be interviewed on a segment during the NBC Today Show, which runs from 7 to 11 a.m. CST. Some teens will also give testimonials about how similar substances affected them.

Dobner is not sure when the segment will begin during the Today Show Thursday program.

The segment will include information on and his death after a in Batavia Township. At some point during the segment, they will talk to Dobner.

Karen Dobner suspects that a potpourri substance called iAroma had a hand in her son's death. iAroma can be purchased legally in tobacco shops in small amounts, such as one gram or 1.5 grams, she said.

Max Dobner, 19, and a friend apparently purchased iAroma and smoked it less than two hours before his death. When he called his brother for help, Max Dobner said he was having a panic attack and his heart was beating fast. To read more about what happened that day, click .

A Dangerous High

Karen Dobner's said her son's symptoms appear consistent with what's experienced by those who use synthetic marijuana. Spraying a chemical substance onto dry leaves, such as mushroom leaves, creates this form of supposed marijuana. When smoked, the substance can create a high far more intense than marijuana with extreme paranoia, hallucinations and other side effects.

Dobner thinks her son Max was in a panicked, hallucinogenic state after smoking the potpourri. At some point before Max got into his Chrysler Cirrus on June 14, he left a few doors of the family home wide open. Later on, he apparently was traveling east on Mooseheart Road at a high rate of speed.

Max Dobner died after his car flew off the road and eventually into a two-story home.

"I don’t know what his hallucinations were, but it was fear, absolute panic," Dobner said about Max.

Two male teens will likely talk about the frightening side effects they experienced on the Today Show segment, Dobner said. They came forward to her after Max Dobner died.

"They were just hallucinating or just very ill," Dobner said. "One of them had a seizure, convulsions."

Dobner stressed that more laws are required to regulate these substances on the market. Their legal status gives teens a false perception that they are safe to use, she said.

Dobner said many teens, even those she doesn't know, have contacted her through Facebook and other means to tell her that they have tried what they call synthetic marijuana. 

"It's just shocking how prevalent this is with kids who don't normally do drugs when they do ... this synthetic marijuana because it's legal," she said.

"For My Son"

As of Tuesday, the Kane County Sheriff's Office had not completed their investigation into Max's death. Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Pat Gengler could not say Max Dobner was under the influence for certain yet, but they do not dispute what Karen Dobner is telling the media.

"It’s rare that someone would come out and be as aggressive as she was—to say this is where my son and what he was doing," Gengler said.

Gengler said that Karen Dobner's appearances could prevent other deaths from happening.

"If they want to go out and talk about this … and it gets even one kid from doing this stuff—great, that's the ultimate goal," he said.

At least one of Max's friends supports his mother's efforts to get the word out about the dangers of iAroma. Emily Vargas met Max when they were juniors at West Aurora High School. Vargas does not think Max would ever smoke potpourri, but she supports getting the word out.

"I think the mom’s doing a really good thing," Vargas said. "Karen’s a great woman."

Karen Dobner has even started the To The Maximus Foundation, which is committed to spreading the word about harmful substances and legislation to prevent their sale on the market. The group is currently seeking nonprofit status, according to its website.

Dobner admits that she has taken on many ways to get her message out, but she won't stop.

"It’s something I have to do for my son," Dobner said. "It’s overwhelming, but I have to do this for my son, and to help others." 

Karen Dobner will likely appear Thursday on NBC's Today Show. The show airs in the Chicago area from 7 to 11 a.m. on Ch. 5. Check local listings for details.

Here are some ways to follow this story:

• Click on the green "Keep me posted!" button below this article. You will receive an e-mail notification only when we run future updates on this story.
• Click here and then click on the green button at the top that says "Get the Patch Newsletter." You will receive Breaking News Alerts.
• Log on to facebook.com/BataviaPatch. Click "Like" and see our posts on your page.