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Team CorinneBy Judy Prather
On March 15, two days before Corinne Miller's second birthday, her mother, Jennifer Manby Miller '98 was planning her daughter's upcoming birthday bash. (It was going to have an Elmo theme, one of Corinne's favorites.) But the birthday girl was running a mild fever and didn't seem quite herself, so Jennifer decided a trip to the pediatrician might be a good idea.
 Spots on the little girl's leg tipped the doctor off. As it turned out, her platelet count was critically low, and the diagnosis was Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). So rather than celebrate with Elmo on her birthday, Corinne started intense chemotherapy and steroid treatments instead. Now with one month of treatments behind her, she has about thirty more months to go.
Leslie Damon Hadskey '99, Jennifer’s little sister in Baylor's Kappa Delta sorority, started a website for the family at caringbridge.org/visit/corinnemiller. Hadskey talks to the Millers almost every day and makes regular journal entries so friends and family can stay updated without having to call. The site also includes photos and lets others read and/or sign the guest book. Hadskey says those notes have been a source of great encouragement for Jennifer and her husband, Brian.
"They don't have time to check their e-mail. They're pretty much on survival mode now," Hadskey says. "So when they do have time on the computer, they check the guestbook.
"It's hard right now," she says. "The first course of chemo is the most intense, as they try to knock [the leukemia] out. Corinne's on four different kinds at once, and all have different side effects--hair loss, sores, nausea. The worst thing has been the steroids, which have made her agitated and have kept any of them from sleeping well."
But with around-the-clock medications and continued chemotherapy, the good news came on April 1 that the little girl's leukemia cell levels had dropped under the 5 percent range, and she was officially in remission.
According to Hadskey, this is a common response for children under three years old to this kind of tough treatment. "Most of us think 'remission' and think we're cancer free," she explains, "but that's not what it means this time. It just means the chemotherapy is doing its job. That's a good sign, of course, but if they were to stop right now, the ALL would quickly come back." Corinne will undergo chemotherapy and steroid treatments for another two and a half years to "search and destroy" any lingering leukemia cells in her body.
She will also receive regular blood transfusions, and that's where people can do something instead of just standing by. A replacement blood drive is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, in Sugar Land, and friends who have joined "Team Corinne" are doing all they can to spread the word. For more information about the drive, go to Corinne's website or e-mail teamcorinne@gmail.com. Donations aren't limited to the Houston area. Anyone in Texas can give Corinne's patient number (found on the website) at the time of donation, and the blood will be credited to the little girl's account.
"The thing is, insurance doesn't cover the cost of blood products," says Hadskey, "and it's platelets that Corinne really needs. That's why this drive is so critical. If you want to help a fellow alumna, you're encouraged to give blood."
And for those who like happy endings, you can also donate to a very different kind of account--one that's been set up at Bank of America so the Millers can take Corinne to Disney World in 2010 at the completion of her treatment. For a brave little two-year-old who had to sacrifice her Elmo party, Disney World seems like a fair alternative.
If you would like to respond to this story, send an e-mail to Between the Lines Editor.
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