Charity surrounded by friends in Northlawn dorm. Photo by Kevin Kanagy
Charity N. Miller had a different spring break than other Eastern Mennonite University students.
And while she would have much preferred spending that time with friends and family at her home in Sarasota, Fla., instead of in the hospital, she looks back on her experience of the past several weeks with a sense of amazement.
Ms. Miller, a first-year EMU student, was experiencing headaches that became more severe as the month of February progressed. The last day of the month, the resident director of her dorm, Nan Kanagy, took her to Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg for a scheduled MRI scan.
Later, Miller left a message with Kanagy, telling her she had been sent to the emergency room for further tests. She was then transferred by ambulance to the University of Virginia Medical Center at Charlottesville, one hour from Harrisonburg.
There, doctors confirmed that Miller had a cerebral arteriovenenous malformation (AVM), a disorder of blood vessels in the brain in which there is an abnormal connection between the arteries and the veins. The cause is unknown, but it is a congenital disorder, meaning it it is present at birth. For more than half the persons with AVM, the first symptom is bleeding from the malformation, which can lead to profound disabilities or death.
Charity Miller and her mother, Anita Miller. "What an experience this has been . . . we’ve been blessed by the prayers of so many people," they said.Photo by Jim Bishop
After being admitted to UVA Medical Center, Miller underwent two
angiograms in which a catheter is threaded into the brain where the arteries feeding the AVM are located. Once in place, a piece of "super glue" is released in hopes of shutting off the blood supply to the AVM, causing it to shrink. The procedure was done in phases to prevent unnecessary trauma to the brain and to allow time to reroute the blood that had been flowing to the AVM.
Miller went to the operating room at 7:30 a.m. Mar. 8. Surgery to remove the rest of the AVM began at 9 a.m. and went until 4:30 p.m. The neurosurgeon informed her parents, John O. and Anita Miller, who had come from Sarasota, that "everything went fine – no surprises."
John Miller then told his daughter that the operation was over and everything went well. She responded loudly, "That’s good, because I’m not doing it again!"
The evening of Feb. 28, more than 50 EMU students gathered for an initial prayer meeting in the Great Lounge of Northlawn where Miller was a resident. "Students from all six dorms on campus gathered together for a time of prayer and worship, remembering Charity and her situation," Nan Kanagy said. We left with a sense of peace, knowing Charity herself was calm and in good spirits."
Charity Miller says goodbye to several EMU friends over lunch in preparation for going back to her home in Sarasota, Fla. Using e-mail and a web site that a friend had set up, reports of Miller’s situation and requests for prayer spread rapidly as her mother updated everyone.
Miller remained in intensive care for monitoring and was given large doses of anti-seizure medication, but apart from dizziness and a headache caused by the angiograms, she enjoyed a steady stream of visitors from EMU. On Mar. 11, she was moved to a semi-private room.
"I had more people show up than should be allowed in my room," Miller said. "But the medical staff were so kind and understanding and sorta looked the other way."
Charity’s father, John, returned to Florida, while Anita Miller remained in Harrisonburg, making daily trips over the mountain to Charlottesville to see her daughter. On Mar. 13, Charity was released from the hospital.
On Mar. 17, one day before leaving campus to return to her Sarasota home, Miller was eating lunch with several friends and saying her goodbyes. She said she was "tired, excited about being back on campus and anxious to have her head wrap removed." Her hair has already started to grow back.
Although Miller will miss the rest of second semester, she said she will be able to finish up much of her course work from home, with the cooperation of her professors and the aid of a computer. She is dropping two courses that would be difficult to continue from a distance – speech and Spanish – because of their "oral" nature.
"I would like to return [to EMU] this fall, but that’s not certain at this point," Miller said. "I really like it here; EMU is an amazing place."
The EMU student came through her ordeal with no neurological damage. She’s must take anti-seizure medication for several months and been told to walk and do stretching exercises regularly, but no physical or occupational therapy is necessary.
Charity’s mother, a nurse, said she was "encouraged" when she heard the diagnosis, knowing that while it was a life-threatening illness, the possibilities were good for a full recovery.
"We’re so grateful for all the good things that have happened over the past two weeks and have felt God’s presence with us throughout," said Anita Miller. "The outpouring of love, support and prayers for Charity and our family has been overwhelming.
"I have no doubt that any parent who has followed our journey also shares our relief and joy at the outcome," she said. "How can we thank everyone? It’s impossible. We are blessed beyond measure."
Charity’s web site can be accessed at http://www.charitymiller.com. She can be contacted at her home at 7932 Oak Grove Circle, Sarasota FL 34243. E-mail messages can be sent to millbunch@juno.com.
Not only spring break, but undoubtedly, Easter will also carry special meaning for Charity Miller, her parents and family and a host of supporters from around the world.