Mike Miller: Giving Memories to His Children
Mike Miller, 44 years old, from North Carolina, was diagnosed with
Stage IV pancreatic cancer in May 2003, and was told by his doctors
that, at best, he had about five months to live. Mike had a wife, Erin,
and three young children when he was diagnosed and knew he needed to
find an alternative to conventional medicine. It was his family’s wish
that Mike live long enough for his youngest child to have real memories
of her father. She was four at the time of her father’s diagnosis.
Soon
after diagnosis, Mike underwent chemotherapy. He and his sister-in-law,
Dana Dornsife, searched the Internet for information about pancreatic
cancer and came across an article about a targeted genetic medicine
called Rexin-G by Epeius Biotechnologies. Dana realized that Rexin-G was
developed at The University of Southern California under the guidance
of Drs. Frederick Hall and Erlinda Gordon. Dana’s husband is a Trustee
at USC and they made the connection with Drs. Hall and Gordon, and Mike
became the first American patient to be treated with Rexin-G.
In
April 2004, Mike flew several times to Manila, Philippines, to receive
Rexin-G under the supervision of Drs. Gerardo Cornelio and Gary Lorenzo,
medical oncologists at Asian Hospital. “He immediately began to feel
better,” said Dana. “He gained weight, his energy level began to improve
and we witnessed his return to a fulfilling life with his family,
friends and work. His doctors reported that the primary tumor in his
pancreas was gone, as were several of the tumors in his liver. Following
his Rexin-G treatment, Mike went on to coach Little League Baseball for
one more season, enjoy summer vacation with his family, celebrate
Christmas and the New Year, and most of all, provide special memories
for his children about their Dad.”
Although Mike died several
months later, he did not die from pancreatic cancer, but from the
complications of organ failure. Still, Mike’s family is thankful for the
treatment. “Rexin-G was a gift to Mike and our family” said his wife,
Erin.
