I have started this GoFundMe to assist in some small way Mike Miller and his family.

Many of you may know that Mike was diagnosed in August with West Nile Virus,

following a week in the hospital as diagnostics were run (and run, and run - apparently

lots of blood draws and a spinal tap). Mike's case was severe, resulting in difficulty with

walking, balance, double vision, and stamina. Fortunately, he was cognitively intact.

Following the definitive diagnosis, he was discharged from the hospital and moved to a

rehabilitation unit for Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech Therapy. He

continued to be exhausted after these therapies each day, and he had little to no

appetite, losing a significant amount of weight. After two weeks in rehab, when he was

able to demonstrate adequate balance, he was discharged home. One of his neighbors,

a neurologist, said he was surprised and pleased to hear that Mike was able to walk out

of the hospital, as in his experience, patients with this level of involvement with West

Nile end up paralyzed.

Since returning home, Mike has regained some of his strength

and endurance, his double-vision has resolved, his voice is much stronger, and he is

determined to return to work. He has recently started to see clients again, for 30-minute

sessions, a few per week.

Those of us familiar with Mike's work know that he is a very talented therapist, working

very successfully with clients who are often suicidal, and who require therapists such as

Mike - skilled, caring, and high energy. In addition, Mike is a sought-after consultant and

teacher, as he is trained and certified in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and also

trained and experienced in conducting Prolonged Exposure. These therapies require

that the therapist be familiar with the effects of severe trauma and suicidal behaviors, as

they can go hand in hand. We also know that he has had a very robust private practice,

often starting early in the morning and running late into the evenings a couple of

evenings per week.

In private practice, therapists do not have sick leave or other leave - if they don't work,

they don't bring in money. Mike is the primary breadwinner of the family, so being

unable to work for such a length of time hits very hard financially, no matter how much

someone may have set aside for emergencies.

Mike and his wife have been quite reluctant to let folks know about the struggles, though

I have let them know repeatedly that people have been asking how they can help. I

know that we all want to make things as easy as possible for Mike and his family. He

continues in rehab, as he has quite a way to go in terms of regaining his strength and

energy and weight; this is really uncharted territory for most professionals working with

West Nile patients, so they cannot say for sure when he will regain all that he lost. He is

most definitely is determined to regain everything, and his wife is very encouraging of

him. This has been a true team effort, and it would be nice to make things even a little

bit easier for them.