ABOUT THE FOUNDER
I’M MILLER KERR
I was diagnosed with CRPS when I was 10 years old.
In November 2013, I was playing a friendly game of basketball at recess with friends. Within the blink of an eye, I was on the ground in excruciating pain.
Little did I know I would never get to shake this pain away. Over time, walking became harder.
I met with numerous doctors in search of an explanation as to what was wrong with my leg; some didn’t know what was causing it and others just didn’t believe me. Each time, I left with no explanation and a little less hope.
After months of doctors’ visits and lots of physical therapy…
I got a diagnosis:
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
CRPS is a rare disease, and not many doctors know about it or treat it. Unfortunately, there is no cure for CRPS.
The disease spread to the rest of my right leg. I couldn’t bear physical touch to my leg, no weight could be transferred onto it, and I couldn’t bend my leg which prohibited me from participating in any daily activities.
The pain felt like a thousand nails being stabbed into my leg while it was burning on fire.
Finally, my mom found the Cleveland Clinic, one of three programs in the country that helped kids suffering from CRPS. Despite being too young for the program, my mom knew that if I had any chance of walking or living a normal life again, she had to get me in. Thankfully, she did.
In the spring of 2014, I spent six weeks at the Cleveland Clinic to learn how to cope with the pain and, more importantly, how to walk again.
A couple of months after leaving the Cleveland Clinic, the pain traveled to my left leg, a common symptom of CRPS.
When living with CRPS, physical activity is important. So, I joined a dance class. It not only helped me rehabilitate my legs but it gave me a place to escape from the physical and emotional pain I endured every day.
Sadly, I will most likely live with CRPS for the rest of my life, but this journey has proven to me that I can overcome anything. Dance gave me the power to get out of a painful place in my life, and it gave me back something that I never thought I would have again, the use of my legs.
Today, I suffer from the pain almost every day. There are days when I can control the pain, and there are days when the pain consumes me, unable to stand or get out of bed.
Despite my pain, I would never wish for a life without it. CRPS has shown me how strong I am. I never thought I would be where I am today…
I graduated high school as Captain of the Jesuit Rangerettes from Ursuline Academy of Dallas. I became an active college student at Kilgore College, where I was Captain the World-Famous Kilgore College Rangerette. Now, I am a Chancellor Scholar recipient at Texas Christian University, where I am a Communication Studies major and Journalism minor.
