Helping Tyler Miller fight

Tyler Miller loves baseball.

He was good enough to start as a sophomore and junior for Philo High School's varsity team. The thought of playing one more year with his teammates, as a senior, was high on his priority list.

Cancer changed that, however. Now he's fighting for his life -- with baseball still on his mind.

The community is ready to help him with that fight.

Miller, 17, recently was diagnosed with nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's lymphoma, the most common type of Hodgkin's lymphoma affecting mostly teenagers and young adults.

His father, Matt Miller, said his son was diagnosed about March 1.

"He had been losing weight. I thought he was just getting in shape for baseball," Matt Miller said. "He had to get his physical, but they wouldn't pass him because his heart rate was too high -- his resting heart rate was probably 140 or 150."

That led to a doctor visit and the ensuing blood work.

"His (white cell) blood count came back too high, and his hemoglobin was too high," Matt Miller said. "We went back to draw more blood, and it came back the same way."

A visit to an oncologist revealed the worst. His lymph nodes were swollen around the neck, which required surgery.

"I pretty much knew it was cancer when they found the swollen lymph nodes," Tyler Miller said. "I had done some research on my own and saw that was one of the symptoms. I feel a lot better now."

His cancer carries a cure rate of 90 percent but not without regular chemotherapy and radiation. He will receive the treatments for six to eight months at Children's Hospital in Columbus.

He will undergo surgery to insert a chemotherapy port on Friday.

"This cancer is one of the most curable ones and it's going to be a long journey," Tyler Miller said. "It'll be tough but I'm just trying to stay as positive as I can."

Matt Miller said watching his son suffer has been devastating.

"He looks like a healthy 17-year-old boy, other than he's lost some weight. ... He gets pretty depressed and down, but I guess he's starting to come out of it a little bit," he said. "Thank God for iPods and cell phones, at least he can stay in touch with his friends while he's getting his treatment."

The Franklin Local community has rushed to his support.

The Tyler Miller Benefit account has been set up at Century National Bank, where the public can make donations in his name by contacting its downtown office.

At the high school, rubber bracelets designed by the senior class, in purple and green with the insignias "Miller #24" and "Awareness," are being sold for $2 each. More than 400 were sold in the first two days after they arrived.

The high school also is selling T-shirts and will have a "Team Tyler Day," where the entire student body will wear T-shirts in his honor. The "#teamtyler" hashtag also has picked up plenty of steam on Twitter in an effort to raise awareness.

The baseball team is also selling "Got Tyler" T-shirts for $10 each, which can be bought from any player.

Also, Teresa Anders and Kim Holdren are selling Scentsy candles, with the proceeds benefiting the Millers.

Tyler Miller, who will petition the Ohio High School Athletic Association for another year of eligibility, said the outcry of support has been humbling.

"My team is being so supportive of me, even though I can't be out there," he said. "I can still go to our games and watch. It's hard, but I'm just trying to stay as positive as I can. (The support) means so much to me."

Bryan Kerns, Philo's first-year baseball coach, said the team was shaken by the news. Miller was the team's No. 2 returning pitcher behind senior Jimmy Moore, a starting third baseman and also one of its best hitters.

He is one of 11 seniors on a team expected to challenge for the Muskingum Valley League championship.

"The day he was diagnosed, I had them all in the dugout and told them," Kerns said. "It was pretty much tears the whole time. A lot of these guys weren't only his friends but kids he was raised with."

In response, 31 of the team's 35 players shaved their heads.

"He's a great kid," Kerns said. "Every time you turn around, he's got a smile on his face, even through everything he's going through now. When he comes to practice to see us, he's always got a smile on his face, and just him coming around really gives our kids a lift."

Rusty Miller coached Tyler for three years before, watching him develop as a surprise starter at third base in the 2011 season. He lauded his work ethic and his devotion to improving his conditioning and was expecting a big senior season.

That made the news difficult for him to handle.

"He called me to tell me and after I got off the phone with him, I cried all the way home," Rusty Miller said. "It's hard to even think about. It opens your eyes up. When you think cancer you don't think healthy people. This is a young athletic kid. Hopefully it raises some awareness."

Like Kerns, he recalled Tyler's infectious demeanor.

"He lives life with a smile," Rusty Miller said. "He plays ball with a smile. He's the kind of kid who lifts you up if you're having a bad day. When he called me the other day, the first thing he wondered was how I was doing."

Rusty Miller wasn't surprised at the community outreach.

"Roseville, Philo, Crooksville, McConnelsville ... It doesn't matter -- it puts everybody on the same level," Rusty Miller said. "With something like this, it doesn't matter what's on the front of your jersey. Any of these small communities are going do anything they can."

Tyler is prepared to fight.

"I'm good right now," Tyler said. "I just want to play baseball. That's about it."