Family and Friends;
Greetings! We hope you’ve had a wonderful Christmas and
holiday season. 2012 was an
eventful year to say the least. It’s been a challenge for us to even get this
letter out! Yet we wanted to try to sum
up the way each of us experienced these past 12 months and, in some way, to say
thank you to all who have been a part of it with us – through your prayers, help,
encouragement, and thoughts. We’ve
appreciated each one of you through both the dark times and the
highlights. Thank you all!
TIM’S CORNER
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| The Miller School of Chivalry |
As I write this (Jan 2nd), I
recall a year ago at this time when Daniel was suffering daily, horrible head
and body aches, frequent fevers, and I was in near panic searching for any possible
forms of treatment - traditional, chiropractic, holistic, or faith healing for
some kind of answers for Daniel. The events that followed in the next few days
changed our lives forever.
Page Training
For the past couple years, I’d
been designing a program to be more “intentional” in my father-son time with
Daniel. It would focus on activities
ranging from Bible study, to learning crafts & trades, to P.E., to
developing character virtues and manners using the theme of “chivalry” to progress
through ranks from “Page” to “Squire” to
“Knight”. On Jan 1st, 2012 we
inducted Daniel into the “Miller School of Knighthood and Chivalry”
after taking his oath and signing his “Page’s Pledge”. He received an honorary dagger and a
“Certificate of Induction”. (See picture
links at the end)
An Unexpected
Change in Character Development Curriculum:
However, we had no sooner gotten started
when my curriculum took an unexpected detour.
On 1/5, we had a doctor's appt. at Riley hospital. I’d been extremely frustrated with previous
doctors’ inaction and expressed to her the seriousness of Daniel’s
symptoms. She listened to me and we
began with some blood tests The
appointment ended and I went back to work.
A few hours later, she left a message telling me that she was concerned
about the test results and had scheduled an appointment the next morning for a
bone marrow biopsy. I was pleased that
she was being “proactive” but I’m glad I didn’t understand the implications of
her ordering that test or I wouldn’t have gotten any sleep.
The next morning, we were back at
Riley for a bone marrow test. The
doctors met with us in the recovery room and broke the news ... Daniel had Acute
Lymphoblastic Leukemia (A.L.L. for short) – cancer of the bone marrow. It was similar to Andrea’s C.M.L. diagnosis
from a couple of years prior, but the treatment would be very different – full
blown chemotherapy. He was immediately
admitted to the hospital and surgery was planned for the following morning to
install a “port” (an under-the-skin pin cushion) in his chest through which
they would administer the hundreds of injections and blood draws over the
coming months along with the first spinal tap.
We cried – all of us. Our world stopped, spun backward awhile, and
then flipped upside down. Breathing
became a labor-intensive process. We
phoned, texted, and emailed family and friends.
And I wrote my first blog entry on http://timmillersblog.blogspot.com
titled “Jan 6, 2012 - A Date of Infamy”. The doctors told us how he would be “immune
compromised” for the next 3 years or more and we began to learn the lingo,
process, and what our lives were going to look like for a long time. We learned how to monitor his health, about
new diets and drug restrictions, and how to protect him from infections …
especially molds & fungi. I
instantly thought about the lousy old carpets in our house that we hadn’t yet
been able to afford to replace. More
than once, I’d discovered mold hiding under it during repairs. So I decided I would rip them out now and
just put sealer on the underlayment until we could replace the actual flooring
later when we had the time and money. I
wouldn’t allow Daniel into the house until everything was at least sealed. But I knew tearing out all that carpet,
cleaning, and sealing was going to be a huge job – especially while trying to
keep up at work and spending huge amounts of time at the hospital.
God Comes Through:
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| Daniel at Riley Hospital |
God showed up early in all of this
though. Of course, He’d never really
left! We were immediately surrounded by
family, friends, and a constantly growing army of people willing to help. My folks volunteered to let us stay at their
place until I deemed the house safe enough for Daniel. We were admitted to the hospital on Fri
1/6. On Sunday morning (1/8), I made a
brief Facebook petition for volunteers that afternoon to help me start pulling
up carpet – I would be home by about 2:30. Most people I knew were at church and
unlikely to see the post until much later.
I headed home about 2p. By the
time I got there, my driveway and entire front yard was filled with cars. I never counted, but figure about 20-30
people showed up - one even drove up from Kentucky to help! When I walked in, the job was nearly
done. They boxed up our Christmas
decorations, moved the furniture from 3 rooms, and tore up the carpet, padding,
and tack strips from every room. Already
home, Andrea was overwhelmed with trying to direct the work, or answer many of
the questions. I left instructions, and scrambled
to the store to pick up enough sealer to do the whole 1st floor. Andrea ordered pizzas, and then headed back
to the hospital to be with Daniel. By the time I returned almost everyone was gone
and all the carpet, pad, and tack strips were loaded into my trailer. “Awesome” doesn’t cover it. A job I expected to take at weeks was done in
a couple hours. It was only the first of
MANY blessings God would be sending our way.
With the help of other great
friends over the next 2 weeks, I was able to purchase and install laminate
flooring in most of the first floor (all except the hallway & entry which
will require some repair first). I
blocked off the Family room from the dogs, bought a special air purifier, and
made it Daniel’s room for the foreseeable future. With the new easy-to-clean laminate flooring,
no stairs, and immediate access to a bathroom and small entertainment center,
it was a much better choice for him than his bedroom. This set up remained largely unchanged
throughout 2012.
A Very Long Year:
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| Daniel & Papaw after the State Fair |
The year has consisted mostly of
innumerable trips to Riley Hospital, mid-night ER visits with fevers, many scheduled
& unscheduled hospital admissions, learning to give chemo drugs at home,
and my working some horrendous hours at work trying to make up for all the time
at the hospital. But through what can
only be described as another miracle of God’s timing and providence, my
employer has been wonderful. Not only
has the work been mostly enjoyable, but the insurance is considerably better
than any of my previous employers, and my boss and team have been incredibly
accommodating with my work schedule.
It’s meant precious little time at home with the family in the evenings
and that’s been hard on everyone. Daniel
complains he never sees me anymore even though we’ve probably actually spent
more time together this year than several previous years – it’s just all been in
hospital rooms on fold-out chairs, often with him asleep. My clearest memories of this past year
revolve around endless hours of research; long sleepless nights of alarms, and
nurses, and urinals, back massages, endless McDonalds food, uncountable
Facebook/CaringBridge/blog entries; and prayer … lots and lots and lots of
PRAYER.
Some FUN Along the Way:
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| Daniel's 1st Small Plane Flight |
There were of course MANY other
things happening this year too –there were also good times & fun
activities. In Feb and March, I taught a
class in Genesis at a local Bible college and currently teaching a class in Systematic
Theology in the evenings. In March a
number of our musician friends put on a benefit concert for Daniel to raise
awareness and money to help with his medical bills. We were blown away at the response and the
generosity of those who performed (some coming from other states!) and those
who attended. In May, Rolls-Royce
sponsored several cancer patients at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for
Carburetion Day. It was Daniel’s first time to the Track! He was given a huge duffle bag
filled with gifts, and visits from the drivers and the Mayor. In June, Daniel & I visited the Air Force
Museum in Dayton. In July a friend from work, and fellow pilot,
flew us to Greensburg
for dinner – it was Daniel’s first flight in a small plane (since Daniel’s own dad hasn’t been flying since
he was born!) In Sept, I was invited
back to Lawrence United Methodist Church, for their 175th anniv. (I had
been a Youth Pastor and on several committees & boards there for many years). In Oct, we attended two Renaissance Faires – and
in Nov, Andrea put together a wonderful surprise birthday party for my 50th. She also collected nearly 50 personal notes
from friends and family and put them into a binder for me. It’s one of my most prized-possessions.
Joey:
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| Daniel & Joey Keller at Joey's 9th bday pty |
In July, we attended the 9th
birthday party of a very dear friend of ours named Joey Keller. Daniel and Joey had met in our homeschool
co-op. Joey had been battling a very
serious form of brain cancer for the past couple of years and so they became
much closer when Daniel was also diagnosed with cancer. Over the past year, our paths crossed frequently
with the Kellers and we often exchanged experiences and MANY prayers for one
another. We got to know one another much
better. Joey became markedly worse in
October and we began praying very often for them as a family. I felt led to set up some on-line prayer
vigils to schedule people to pray around-the-clock for the Kellers during some
of the worst times. Joey recovered briefly
and our hopes soared. But after a couple of weeks his cancer returned and his
condition deteriorated rapidly. He went
home to be with the Lord on 11/18 and we were all absolutely devastated. Having fought constantly against this very
nightmare ourselves for the past 11 months only to watch it happen to our
friends Nick and Elizabeth cannot be expressed in words. We continue to solicit your prayers for them
and Joey’s grandparents as well.
Thank You!
There are many more people to whom
we owe a debt of gratitude than I could ever write thank you notes to this
year, but again here I will express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to
the many who have come alongside us this year.
From helping with the house, to bringing food, to financial gifts, to
going shopping with or for us, to the fathomless amounts of prayer which has
gone up on our behalf … thank you! And
may the Lord richly bless you as only He can in the coming year.
ANDREA’S
CORNER
As you have seen, this year has
been one of stretching, growing, crying, and above all else, trusting in the
Lord. Never in a million years would I
have thought our son would get Leukemia also.
Tim and I have both frequently said that if we could trade places with
Daniel we would in a heart-beat! But,
for whatever reason, this is the road we are on.
Our new “normal” has been changed
for years yet to come. I never expected
to spend Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Mother’s Day at Riley hospital with
either clinic appointments, or admissions due to fevers. Nurses, needles, hospital lingo, etc. have
all become common-place for us now. I
still remember walking through a grocery store once, looking at the “healthy”
kids, and wanting to scream inside, “it’s not fair!” But, if I am honest with myself, I have to
admit I have seen our family draw closer, and grow more this year than ever
before. The outpouring of love and help
from our brothers and sisters in Christ has been overwhelming! All the meals, help with cleaning, running of
errands, financial help, and especially the prayers have been our life-line this
past year. The growth and maturity I
have seen in our son as he gone down this path has been humbling, and makes
this momma’s heart swell!
I’ve struggled with my own health
issues during all this too. I started
seeing a new holistic Dr. and he has me taking a fistful of vitamins now daily. Some have helped, but I struggle daily with
low energy levels, body aches and pains, and stomach issues. A lot of it may be side-effects of the oral
chemo drug I take, and will be on the rest of my life. This year I became a distributor
for Young Living Essential Oils, and
have found some to be helpful at helping me keep from catching bugs so easily. I had a sleep study this spring and was also diagnosed
with Fibromyalgia, and Sleep Apnea. I
still haven’t done much to address these issues. This spring I developed a bad case of Planter
Fascitis in my left heel, and am seeing a podiatrist. Walking is very painful most of the time
now.
But despite of all the health
issues, we’ve managed to have some fun this year! We had play days, trips to the park, and pool
days this summer. In the Spring my
cousin Ed from Tampa was here a couple of times on business, and one of them both
he and my cousin Kammie and her family from Evansville were over for
dinner. I was so happy to get to spend
time with them! We finally made it to
the State Fair with the Grandparents and cousins and Daniel had a ball.
Unfortunately shortly afterward Daniel got the flu (probably at the fair) and
ended up back in the hospital for several days.
We spent Labor Day weekend at Turkey Run Inn while friends from church
camped. We were giving Daniel his last
at-home IV chemo treatments in the hotel!
In spite of the heat and rain we had a great time. Daniel also had fun dressing up for Halloween
this year as a character from one of his video games. He looked great, and had fun
trick-or-treating with our dear friends the Loobies. We also got in our annual trip to the pumpkin
patch, and Daniel and I went to the Headless Horseman hayride at Conner Prairie
for the first time. We had hoped to spend Thanksgiving in Iowa, but with the sad news of the passing
of our dear friend Joey Keller, attending his Celebration service the day after
Thanksgiving had to be our priority. We
still enjoyed a delicious meal with Tim’s family and extended cousins at a
local restaurant. In mid-December we
celebrated our 23rd anniversary in Nashville, IN and enjoyed walking
around town, touring Oliver Winery, and seeing “The Hobbit.” Daniel and I both had pretty bad colds, but
we still had a great Christmas with the family.
We continue to homeschool Daniel,
and that has been a huge blessing with our schedule now. Daniel would have missed so much time if he
were in public schools, but finished 4th grade just a couple weeks
past our normal time. So far 5th grade hasn’t been far behind
normal, and Daniel is doing well with his studies. Having had to miss most of the second
semester of co-op and AWANA 2nd semester last year, it’s been nice
to be involved again this school year.
He’s missed some meetings due to low blood counts, and the bugs going
around, but has been able to participate a little more recently. We got rid of our chickens and miss the fresh
eggs, but couldn’t keep up with their care with all going on this past
year. We still have our two dogs, Diezel
and Samson, who have lovingly been by our sides through thick and thin. This year has been a stretch for them as
well! We briefly had a pet garter snake,
but released her this fall back to the woods.
Our newest family member is Daniel’s Leopard Gecko named Draco. We’re hoping
and praying that 2013 will be a “healthier” year for the Miller family, and
that we will continue to grow ever closer to the Lord and to each other as we
continue this journey together.
DANIEL’S CORNER
This past year has been the most
intense year of my life. The worst
things were being diagnosed with A.L.L., which was the worst of all, and all
that came with it – getting the port installed, all the shots, spinals, chemo
drugs, bone marrow tests, being admitted to the hospital so many times, not
being able to have play days (because of low counts or having to stay away from
others who might be sick), and not being able to eat many of the foods or
places I like to eat, and losing my hair.
Although they were very hard, tough, intense, and stressful, I’ve made
it through, I’m OK, and now that I’m in the Maintenance phase, things should go
smoothly.
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| Christmas at Tim's folks' |
Other than all the bad things,
I’ve had a fairly good year. I’ve gotten
many presents and surprises, such as my Nintendo DSi (which Dad would have
NEVER let me have if it wasn’t for Riley), my “small” Make-A-Wish Foundation
gift (a giant LEGO Star Wars ship with an eight-legged tank), making several
new friends in the cancer ward at Riley, getting to know Joey Keller better,
and the nurses – some of whom I’d almost consider to be close friends now, and
many new LEGO sets. We had a great
Christmas this year, and I can hardly believe I’m 11 years old now. I actually feel older this year – taller,
stronger, and more mature. I always
remember looking up to others who were 11 years old, and now I’m 11 and I want
to be the kind of person I most appreciated in older boys when I was
young. I remember certain friends who
never left me out or walked away from me when I was littler than them and I
remember how that made me feel.
This year, I’ve also learned a lot
spiritually. I’ve learned a lot about
spiritual warfare, and my dad taught me how to visualize Jesus sitting next to
me and I use that a lot when I’m fighting depression or feeling anxious, or
sometimes just to have Him with me. I
look forward to my hair coming back in to be as long as it was before. I hope everyone else had a good year last
year and will have a great year in 2013.
I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone for all the great presents,
cards, games, visits, and those who looked after me (especially the one who
brought cookies!) Thank You!
Wishing you all the very best in 2013,
Tim, Andrea, Daniel,
(Samson, Diezel, and Draco)
To see our "Best of 2012" Photo Album, please visit one of the following links:
Facebook: (small size. No account needed)
Picasaweb:(full size. No account needed)
Other
Miller Links:
Daniel’s Caring Bridge
site here:
Tim’s
Facebook page:
Andrea’s
Facebook page:
