Miller draws inspiration from four-year-old daughter

PHILADELPHIA – Amid the wild celebration of Tampa Bay’s first AL pennant, Trever Miller sensed something was terribly wrong. Relatives tried to allay his concern, encouraging him to enjoy the moment. But the Rays reliever wouldn’t let it go. If his wife, Pari, and their four-year-old daughter, Grace, weren’t nearby, it meant something wasn’t right. “They originally told me she was constipated. A half-hour goes by. I’ve been around Grace enough to know that’s too long for something like that to be going on," Miller said Friday, recalling the scene at Tropicana Field following Tampa Bay’s win over Boston in Game 7 of the AL championship series. “I kept going back out. I finally saw Pari come in and just the look on her face, you could tell mama was a little shaken up and stressed out. ... It wasn’t just constipation. Eventually she told me, and that’s when we decided it was time to go home." What Miller didn’t know was that while rookie David Price was busy getting the final two outs to assure Tampa Bay’s first trip to the World Series, Miller’s wife and sister-in-law were frantically working to help Grace through a scary situation in the stands. The little girl was born with two holes in her heart and a genetic disorder, and doctors predicted she wouldn’t survive much beyond her first birthday. And when she was choking on some mucus in her throat, Pari Miller took charge. “These incidents occur more than we would like, obviously. Once is too many times, but two or three times during the course of a year it’ll pop up," Miller said. “We have to deal with it. It just happened to be when we’re celebrating winning the AL championship game. Highly unlikely or improbable, but it did happen." Stadium medical personnel helped stabilize Grace’s condition before Pari joined Miller and the couple’s other two children, who were having a ball celebrating the Rays’ title in the clubhouse. Miller has appeared in five postseason games after going 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 68 appearances during the regular season. He struck out the only Philadelphia batter he’s faced in the World Series, which is tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 Saturday night. The 35-year-old reliever can’t say enough about what an inspiration Grace has been to him. “First of all, I’m a better man and a better father because I’ve had Grace. She’s made me cherish the times I have with all my kids because you just don’t know how precious they are," Miller said. “The little moments. Tucking them into bed and saying a prayer with them. Playing ball with them. A little quick game of catch, all those things matter because you don’t know if you’re going to get that next day." He ran a marathon to honor Grace last offseason, and Pari may join him next time. He realizes his visibility as a professional athlete can inspire others with special needs children. The Millers are fortunate to have Trever’s salary and medical benefits as a baseball player to support Gracie. “A lot of other people can’t afford it. I couldn’t imagine the situation they’re in. I hope she’s an inspiration to them to keep pushing. Never give up hope," Miller said. The disorder Grace has is so rare it doesn’t have a name. The few others diagnosed with it died before turning a year old. Miller and his wife initially were told Grace’s odds were not any better. “You hear the gloom and doom from the doctors. They have to give it to you," Miller said before the Rays worked out at Citizens Bank Park. “We’re thankful for the five years we’ve had with Grace because it was only going to be a year. That’s what they told us," he added, a smiling spreading across his face. “She’s a Miller, so she defied all odds." Still, being on the road so much as an athlete is not easier. It was even more difficult to perform his job shortly after Grace was born. “It’s tough because I’m an involved father. I get depressed missing football games and parts of their lives that I’ll never get back. I had my parents and my sister move down from Kentucky just so they could help my wife out," he said. To relieve some of the stress, Miller took up running. The more he ran, the better he coped. “It helped my career, to be honest with you. It helped me be a better person and a better dad getting rid of stress that way," he said. “It’s a stage. Talking to the psychiatrist, you go through the denial part of it and the frustration and anger part, then you move forward and make it a positive. That’s what we’ve done." – AP