CRPS Patient from Texas Returns to Pediatric Pain Rehab Program with Her Gratitude

Dance is Miller Kerr’s life. The 20-year-old woman from Dallas is a high school dance team choreographer and was Captain of the Kilgore College (TX) Rangerettes, a world-renowned drill team that performed at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City.

If it weren’t for certain life events, she might not be a dancer — or she may not have been able to dance at all.

In 2013, during a basketball game, the course of her life changed. The fifth grader was kneed by another player and fell to the ground in excruciating pain. Her leg continued to be painful for months.

“Doctors said it was a deep bruise that would take time to heal, but it never did. I lost the ability to walk and the slightest touch caused debilitating pain,” recalls Miller.

Miller and her parents saw various physicians around Dallas for treatment. Finally, a pediatric orthopaedic specialist gave her a diagnosis — complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The neurological condition causes debilitating pain and other symptoms in the extremities. CRPS can greatly impact the function of the affected limb, and can also affect sleep, daily activities and mental health.

“We were referred to Cleveland Clinic for treatment,” says Holly Kerr, Miller’s mother. “I was a desperate mother. I called and begged for an appointment.”

Left photo: Miller as a child on crutches. Right photo: Living with CRPS, dance became Miller’s most important coping mechanism. (Courtesy: Miller Kerr) 

Within a week of that phone call in 2014, Miller and her parents were at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation for a day-long evaluation with caregivers from the Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program.

“Our unique program offers intensive interdisciplinary pain therapy to retrain the nervous system and give hope to those who think they have to live with the pain and have nowhere to turn,” says Ethan Benore, PhD, pediatric psychologist and Clinical Director of the Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program.

Typically, the program is a three-week program (two weeks inpatient and one week outpatient), five days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — due to Miller’s young age, she attended the program for six weeks in order to fully understand how to overcome CRPS.

Miller pictured with her mom, Holly, as a child during one of her therapy sessions at Children's Hospital for Rehabilitation. (Courtesy: Miller Kerr).

Her treatment plan each day involved physical and occupational therapy, including aquatic therapy, yoga, meditation, exercises and educational programs; individual, group or family psychology; recreational therapy, and time for school work.

“The Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program caregivers did an amazing job teaching me coping mechanisms to live with CRPS. A dance video game, part of occupational therapy, is what actually started my dance career and gave me my most important coping mechanism to this day,” remembers Miller.

Miller founded a nonprofit organization called Burning Hope. The organization’s mission is to raise awareness for CRPS, to give hope to those affected by it, and to support research and treatment opportunities through events and fundraising.

In June 2023, Miller and her parents returned to Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. She wanted to give back to the program that gave her the ability to walk again and helped her deal with her pain. Miller’s foundation initiated The Blanket Project where volunteers made 200 fleece blankets that were gifted to current patients.

Miller's parents, Todd and Holly Kerr, pictured with the fleece blankets donated to Cleveland Clinic Children's. (Courtesy: Miller Kerr) 

“It’s my mission to give back to the place that helped me take my life back and continues to make all my dreams possible. While I was at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, I received my own fleece blanket. It gave me comfort, knowing that I wasn't alone and there were people who wanted me to get better,” says Miller. “I wanted to give these kids a sense of comfort and love during such a trying time in their lives.”

Miller also spoke to the kids about her CRPS journey. “Miller is inspirational; her words resonated with all of them. It was important for the children to see someone who was once on the same journey they’re on,” says Diana Musgrave, LISW-S, coordinator, Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program.

Now, in the fall of 2023, Miller is majoring in communications and minoring in movement science as a Chancellor's Scholar recipient at Texas Christian University. She continues to use the knowledge she gained from the program to cope with CRPS when needed.

“Although living with CRPS has been hard, it has helped me find my purpose in life,” says Miller. “The pain forced me to fight for the life I never thought I would have. Now, I get to make an impact by sharing my story to help others find hope.”