Hi, I’m Lauren Miller. I’m 28 years old and have been battling kidney disease since I was just 13 months old.
My journey hasn’t been easy.
In 2010, my kidney function plummeted, and I had to start dialysis at home. A year later, in 2011, I received a life-saving kidney transplant performed at Lurie Children’s Hospital. That gift gave me over a decade of possibility and hope. I was able to attend Vernon Hills High School, where I proudly participated in the Dance Team and performed with Orchesis. Later, I graduated with high honors from the University of Iowa as a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. After college, I began my professional journey at HealthJoy and Showpad and finally started to see a future that, for once, looked like a normal life.
But transplanted organs don’t last forever.
During the pandemic, my kidney began showing signs of rejection. Then I contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized for 21 days, suffering long-term complications. We hoped I’d be placed on the transplant list again—but instead, the medical team focused on trying to preserve my existing kidney. That meant more immunosuppressants—on top of the medications I’ve been taking for most of my life.
Fast forward to this year. I began experiencing terrifying symptoms: trouble speaking, falling often, mental fog, and weakness on my right side. My handwriting became illegible, and I struggled to type at work. Doctors initially thought it was anxiety. But I didn’t feel like myself anymore—I felt like I was slipping away, emotionally and physically. I began to feel like I was losing myself and did not recognize the Lauren I was becoming – I was overwhelmed with sadness and confusion.
Then, on May 27th, I underwent emergency, life-saving brain surgery.
An MRI revealed multiple brain lesions, bleeding in the brain, and a blood clot in my lungs. Doctors told my family that if they didn’t operate immediately, I would have fallen into a coma—or worse.
During surgery, they discovered the brain lesions were cancerous. I was diagnosed with lymphoma, which is a form of cancer that starts in the blood’s white cells and can spread to lymphatic tissue throughout the body, including the brain.
I’m now undergoing intensive treatment at Northwestern, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, as well as physical, occupational, and speech therapy. After discharge, I’ll continue cancer treatments as I work toward a full recovery.
On top of all this, I was recently laid off. With limited health insurance, I now face overwhelming medical expenses—hospital stays, treatments, medications, follow-up care, rehabilitation, and more.
This is where I need your help.
If you’re able, please consider contributing to my medical fund. Every dollar truly makes a difference. Whether it’s a donation, a kind message, or sharing my story, I’m deeply grateful for your support.
Your kindness will help me focus on healing and regaining my life—with hope in my heart and strength in my spirit.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
— Lauren Miller
Lastly, despite everything I’m going through, I still want this journey to give back. As a way to say thank you to Lurie Children’s Hospital, which cared for me throughout my childhood—including my successful kidney transplant—a portion of the contributions will be donated to the Lurie Children’s Transplant Department, by way of the Lurie Children’s Marathon Team.
My brother will be running the Chicago Marathon in my honor, and in honor of the incredible team at Lurie Children’s who gave me a fighting chance from the very beginning. This is our way of giving back and helping other families who are walking a similar path.
