Oxford HS Cancer Survivor Appears on NBC's Today Show

Oxford High School senior appeared on NBC's the Today Show this morning for a segment about cancer survivors. 

Miller, who will graduate with her class on Thursday, is a survivor of nueroblastoma, a life-threatening tumor that was found in her spine when she was just 18 months old.  She received treatment at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and was cancer free within five years.

Miller was recently interviewed by Today Show correspondent Jenna Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, for the segment that aired on Monday morning. Click here to view the segment.  

Miller will attend Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in the fall. She recently organized a team to walk in a fundraiser for Memorial Sloan-Kettering as part of her senior Capstone project through Oxford High School. Producers from the Today Show heard Miller speak in front of tens of thousands of people at the walk and decided to interview her and a male cancer survivor. The Today Show segment shows video of Miller in a mock graduation put on by Memorial Sloan-Kettering. It also has moving interviews with Miller and her mother, Michelle Miller, a clerk at Oxford High School. 

An Oxford Patch story about Miller's Capstone project is below.

Jenna Miller knows all too well the struggles children with cancer go through.

The 17-year-old  senior suddenly stopped walking at 18 months old and was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a life-threatening solid, malignant tumor on her spine. Her parents took her to the world-renownedMemorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and three months after surgery, she was walking again. Within five years, Jenna was completely cancer free and has since remained in remission with no complications.

"I'm one of the lucky ones," she said.

With her background, it was a no-brainer when Jenna heard she had to do a senior project about something she was passionate about. She knew right away that she wanted to help children, like herself, who have battled cancer.

Jenna is using her Capstone experience, an in-depth project that all seniors at Oxford High School have to complete as a graduation requirement, to help raise money for children's cancer research. She is spearheading an effort to bring dozens of teens from Oxford to participate in the Kids Walk for Kids With Cancer in Central Park on May 7.

The walk, which is organized by teenagers who have been affected by cancer in one way or another, raised $221,000 last year for research at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, bringing the 10-year total to more than $1 million, according to the race’s website,www.kidswalkforkidswithcancer.org.

Jenna hopes that she and friends from Oxford can help significantly increase that total this year.

"This is something that is just really near and dear to my heart," she said.

She originally wanted to organize her own walk, but figured it made sense to join the Kids Walk since it is established and all of the money, which walkers gain through sponsorships, goes toward her hospital. "We want to help make it bigger and better," she said.

As part of her Capstone Project, which is unique to Oxford but will be mandatory in all Connecticut high schools within three years, Jenna had to find a mentor and chose her oncologist, Dr. Nai-Kong Cheung, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering, who is heavily involved with helping teens organize the Kids Walk.

As part of the Capstone, Jenna has to do a research paper, and has chosen to research the benefits of charity events. She also has to complete field work with Dr. Cheung, and conduct a formal presentation, before a panel of judges, in which she has to communicate and reflect on her experience as a whole. Each Oxford High School senior has to complete a Capstone project in order to graduate. Last year’s senior class was the first to graduate from the new school, and thus this is the second class participating in Capstone.

Some of the projects students are working on this year include music therapy, architecture, law enforcement, sports journalism, firefighting, opening a barber shop, engineering and teaching, among many others.

Marilyn Wagner-Janssen, a teacher who co-chairs the Capstone experience with fellow educator Adrienne Brown, said she believes the project helps prepare students for college and beyond.

"I think they learn lifelong skills," she said.

Jenna hopes her project will make lifelong positive impacts on the lives of children. She said the money is important, but it's equally important to show children that people care.

"To make a child smile when you know he or she is in the hospital every other day, it's just amazing," she said.

Mission Statement for the Capstone Project

The Capstone challenges students to display their mastery of many of the skills they have acquired during their years in the Oxford Public Schools. One of the goals of the Capstone Project is to allow students to take control and have a powerful voice in their own education and development both as learners and individuals. Student choice and personal interest are valued and recognized during each phase of the Capstone Project. It is an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know. Students are able to accomplish and showcase this achievement while stretching their boundaries of intellect and academic abilities.

What is neuroblastoma?

The following information about neuroblastoma, a life-threatening malignant tumor, is from the Mayo Clinic’s website:

Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from nerve cells found in several areas of the body. Neuroblastoma most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit atop the kidneys. However, neuroblastoma can also develop in other areas of the abdomen and in the chest, neck and pelvis, where groups of nerve cells exist.

Neuroblastoma most commonly affects children age 5 or younger, though it may rarely occur in older children.

Some forms of neuroblastoma go away on their own, while others may require multiple treatments. Your child's neuroblastoma treatment options will depend on several factors.