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Our Story
On April 15, 2008 time stood still and all at once everything we knew about our lives and our futures was forever changed. After a routine visit to the doctor to address what we thought was a lingering cold or the possibility of anemia, Karsyn's physician ordered blood work which revealed that Karsyn had Leukemia.
We were instructed to take her to Iowa City immediately for treatment. The drive to the hospital was surreal. Karsyn was the child we prayed for and upon her arrival into the world she lit up our lives and along with her big brother Austin, was the sunshine in our every day. Andy and I were unable to convince ourselves that cancer had invaded her body and that her very life was in jeopardy.
When we made it to the 3rd floor which houses the Pediatric Oncology Unit, reality hit us hard. We left the safety and comfort of our familiar lives and were suddenly in a place filled with the bustling of busy doctors, nurses and other medical personnel. The brave fronts we presented deteriorated as we struggled to process the images of children strapped to IV’s and bald from chemo as we attempted to reconcile in our minds that our own sweet baby girl at an innocent age of 3 would face a similar fate.
The battery of tests that Karsyn underwent confirmed that we had a very sick girl on our hands. The news was grave and very, very frightening. Karsyn's hemoglobin registered at a 4 (the normal rate is at least 11), her platelet count was devastatingly low at 21, with 150 being the minimum level in a healthy child. Perhaps the scariest news showed that she was left with absolutely no "good" white cells. Not a single good white cell to aid her little body in fighting off infection or anything else that could threaten harm. The cancerous white cells were registering 102,000 (putting her at very high risk) when fighting this disease. Her "blasts" which are the excretions from the dead "cancerous" cells were 97470 and should be 0. Things did not look good, but we held each other's hands and prepared to face the journey together.
How it All Began
In an effort to show their appreciation and give back to organizations and individuals who had helped the Millers get through their 3 year old daughter’s cancer diagnosis and initial treatment, Andy and Jessica Miller approached their long-time friends, Darin and Jennifer Duffy in the Fall of 2009 with an idea on how to raise money and awareness. The idea was simple. Mr. Duffy would unveil a new look at the IMCA Super Nationals to support Karsyn and others battling cancer. T-shirts with the new design as well as racing decals would be sold to raise funds which would be donated to Make-A-Wish of Iowa, the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society and Give Kids the World.
However, the Millers and the Duffys could not have anticipated how the racing community would rally around their efforts. The interest and support which they received astounded them all. In just a few short months they processed and sold over 1,200 t-shirts and generated proceeds of more than $11,000!
Racing means a great deal to the Millers. They are not only long-time friends and sponsors of Darin Duffy and JD Auringer, but Jessica has been attending races at local tracks for as long as she can remember. In 1991 she watched her dad's modified take home the Super Nationals title, but it would be 18 years later, when Darin Duffy drove his race car on that same track in honor of their daughter and in support of all the children who have lost their lives to cancer or are fighting for another day, that racing turned into more than a passion for the Millers, it became their purpose!
The base of supporters has grown as the excitement over what has been accomplished spreads from one race fan to another. It seems that old adages ring true. Together we really can move mountains!
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