Otto Miller is coming home

By Gordon Woodworth, Chronicle News Editor

“All is good and I feel great,” Otto Miller said from a transitional house next to the Shepherd Center spinal cord rehabilitation center in Atlanta as he prepares to return on Friday, April 8, to his family’s Queensbury home newly retrofitted by a group of volunteers to accommodate him.

The 18-year-old severed his spinal cord in a Jan. 26 fall from a roof while shoveling snow near the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. The accident occurred two days prior to the start of spring term at UMBC, to which Otto had transferred from SUNY Adirondack, preparing to play hockey.

After 10 weeks of therapy and treatment, “I’m anxious,” Otto said. “We’re ready. Even if coming home introduces many new challenges, we will do just fine. Being home will just be amazing after all of this.”

What’s he most looking forward to?

“Just being back in my house relaxing with my family,” he said. “And sleeping in my own bed.”

Otto said his spirits are high. He said, “I’ve made many friends here and have had many opportunities to go out to eat and the movies.”

Right now he is “fine-tuning skills” like “transferring to higher surfaces, transferring to the floor and then back to the chair, and some wheelchair skills. I’m also doing a lot of exercise.

“I’m very tired from therapy, but next week is my last so I want to finish strong.”

He’s still in a full neck brace, which is scheduled to come off on April 19.

“I’ll probably be sore and a little weak, but it will make things so much easier,” he said. “And I’ll be able to do my driving evaluation. Since I can’t use my feet, I need to learn how to use the hand controls for cars.”

Otto said he’s getting more comfortable using a wheelchair. “I’ve pretty much got it down. I don’t have my permanent wheelchair yet. I’m currently in a loaner chair. I’m not sure when I’ll get mine, but when I do I’ll have to get acclimated to it.”

A group of volunteers has been hard at work retrofitting the Miller family’s home.

“My garage is now an apartment and we have a ramp out front,” Otto said. “It’s crazy, and I’m so thankful for them who have worked on it.”

Ed Miller, Otto’s dad, said “his speedy recovery was outpacing the readiness of the home modifications, but those are very close. Mostly touch-up items at this point, and awaiting a certificate of occupancy.”

Mr. Miller said, “Our garage was converted to a semi-independent living room. Our existing bathroom and hallways and doorways were not adequate. He has his own bathroom designed for his needs in his area, and a small kitchenette and his own entrance from a deck and ramp.”

As for his son’s rehabilitation, “I’m not surprised at his mental toughness. I am surprised at how fast he has recovered physically,” said Mr. Miller.

“When we first arrived at the University of Maryland Medical Center we were initially told he’d probably be there for a month. Two weeks later, we were hustling to get him into a rehabilitation center.”

And now, Otto says, “I can’t wait to lay on the beach and relax” on a long-scheduled trip to the Eastern Shore of Maryland at the end of April.

Otto’s mom Sarah told him ‘I don’t go home until you do’

Sarah Miller, Otto’s mom, has been with her oldest son since his fall from a third-story roof in Maryland in late January. We asked her about Otto’s rehab via email.

“Wow! Has it really been 10 weeks? I haven’t been home since January 26th…still wrapping my head around it.

“Yes, we will be home this weekend! Yay!!! I miss my 14-year-old, Ian, and my husband, Ed, and our two dogs immensely!

“The Shepherd Center [where Otto has been for nearly two months] was definitely a good fit for us despite the distance, but the care he has received — and because of the fantastic teams of therapists and doctors and nurses and techs — he has come a very long way in such a very short time.

“Otto and I have always been close. Before we left Baltimore to come here to Shepherd I told him, ‘I don’t go home until you go home. You are going to endure a rigorous workout day after day, then so am I.’

“I’ve been working out five days a week and it has paid off! I just love him so much and would switch places in a heartbeat. He has a wonderfully kind soul with integrity and perseverance and you can’t help but love him.”

— Gordon Woodworth

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