The saying”You Gotta Have Heart”couldnt be better exemplified by two students who graduated Sunday (May 19) from West Virginia University. One literally. The other for his pure stamina to go beyond the normal limits of college learning. Just seven months ago, pharmacy graduate Russ White received a whole new life, powered by a heart transplanted from a young man who died the previous day. Now, he says the lessons this experience taught him will make him more understanding when providing patient care.
WVU graduate Daniel Miller also took an unprecedented approach to learning about the world around him. He collected not one, but five degrees this monththe most the University has ever conferred upon one person at one timesimply for the heartfelt joy of learning.
p. Pharmacy graduate transformed after transplant
p. Russ White of Morgantown knows the value of an education. But more importantly, he knows the value of life, and isnt about to waste a single second. And while he encountered some tough assignments in pharmacy school, White is now facing an even more difficult taskwriting a thank-you letter to the family of the man who gave him a new heart.
White now has a whole new life, powered by a heart transplant he received on Oct. 11. And while he thinks a lot about his future after graduating from the WVU School of Pharmacy, he also thinks a lot about his donor and what this gift means to him.
“I have been wanting to write a thank-you letter to the family for a while now. But how do you put into words what this gift has meant to me?”White asked.”Thank you just doesnt cut it. I feel very close to someone I never met and will never see. I know organ donation was a tough decision for the family. But its one I will always be grateful for because of the opportunities it has given me.”
Whites heart started failing when he was 20. He was diagnosed with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. The problem stems from a rare genetic defect in a chromosome, similar to muscular dystrophy. Whites body doesnt produce the necessary protein to keep his heart strong. As his heart became weaker, it grew larger and larger to compensate. Finally, with his heart no longer strong enough to pump the needed blood, White had to go to Pittsburgh last June for what he jokingly calls,”a heart on a cart.”
He was hooked up to a ventricular assist device with four hoses used to pump blood in and out of the body. The device, about the size of a carry-on suitcase, was wheeled around on a cart everywhere White went. White then remained in Pittsburgh, awaiting a donor heart.
During his first month on the heart machine, four hearts became available, but none matched his blood type. Then, on that October day, everything changed when a compatible donor heart became available.
All White knows now is that his heart came from a young man who died on Oct. 10. He doesnt know where or how the man died. But through CORE , the Center for Organ Research and Education in Pittsburgh, White hopes to talk with his donors family and learn more.
“Id really like to know them,”White said.”Id like them to see the difference it has made in my life.”And that difference will soon touch the lives of others, as White contemplates life after graduation.
“I am so much more focused now on the needs and concerns of patients,”he said.”I know what it feels like to get bad news. It has made me more determined than ever to provide patients the best care and compassion possible.”
White hasnt accepted a pharmacy job offer yet and is contemplating work in research or in a hospital setting. A residency in cardiology with a focus on drugs that help the heart is one possibility.
“I figure I learned a lot about hearts and drugs in theSchool of Hard Knocksso now I am ready for a more formal education in that area.”
p. Search for knowledge leads student to earn 5 degrees
p. For the typical college student, graduating with one degree and a minor in another field is the norm. A dual degree, especially in the field of teacher education, is not uncommon. But to graduate with enough credit hours to earn five degrees is extremely rareespecially when you do so in a six-year span with a 3.6 grade-point average.
Such is life for WVU senior Daniel R. Miller, who collected five diplomas Sunday (May 19) from the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. The magna cum laude graduate received a bachelor of science in biology and bachelor of arts degrees in English, geography, history and liberal arts and sciences.
The 23-year-old Miller, who entered WVU in the fall of 1996, explained his search for knowledge.
“I didn’t start out to earn five degrees. I began as a biology major, hoping to one day attend medical school,”said Miller, a 1996 graduate of Shady Spring High School.”But I soon discovered that I enjoyed other subjects just as much. I had a lot of interests, and didnt want to pigeon-hole myself. So, I stayed in biologythen took some history classes because I found them interestingadded some geographyand it just grew from there.”
Miller amassed over 240 credit hours, including 128 for the first degree and a minimum of 30 additional credit hours for each additional degree.
“Daniel is a terrific example of a student who has taken full advantage of the breadth of academic opportunities available in the liberal arts and sciences,”said Dean M. Duane Nellis of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.”We don’t expector even encouragemany students to pursue multiple undergraduate degrees, but Daniel’s spirit of inquiry is refreshing and his ability to perform well in a wide variety of disciplines is enviable.”
A WVU Bucklew Scholarone of WVU s elite awards named for former President Neil S. BucklewMiller came to the University six years ago on the full tuition and fees scholarship. Because of his academic standing, he was admitted into the WVU Honors Program and has remained in the highly selective program throughout his WVU career.
Keith Garbutt, director of the Honors Program, said it was hard keeping up with Miller.
“Im not surprised youre having trouble tracking him down for an interview,”Garbutt quipped.”I have trouble tracking him down myself but, certainly, this is quite an accomplishment. In my experience, this is the most degrees Ive ever seen earned at one time.”
Eberly College associate dean for undergraduate education Nick Evans agreed.
“I know we’ve had students complete three degrees at one time,”Evans said,”but I really can’t recall any over the last couple of decades who completed four or even five.”
With so much to do, one would guess that Miller spent most of his time in the classroom or library, but not so. He was a member of”The Pride of West Virginia,” WVU Marching Band
for five years, playing the trumpet and flugal horn and serving as a district officer for Kappa Kappa Psi national band honorary.
He was involved in the WVU Geography Club and inducted into the national geography honorary Gamma Theta Upsilon and the academic honorary Phi Kappa Phi.
He also found time to work at the local Book Exchange and spend time with friends.
“I balanced schoolwork, friends, band and work,”he said.”It definitely was not all work and no play.”
Miller said he feels fortunate to have been able to take advantage of all the opportunities offered by WVU .
“I was lucky because my various scholarships paid for most of my education and I could concentrate on all that WVU had to offer debt free,”he said.”My family and friends have also been very supportive. I couldnt have done it without them.”
Sharon Miller, Daniels mother, is a WVU graduate with a degree in medical technology. His fathera big influence on his lifedied in a coal mining accident when Daniel was only 14. Brother Matt is a student at Mountain State College in Beckley; sister Monica lives in North Carolina; and sister Brooke, age 4, is at home. Miller said the family will get together in Beckley for a”big celebration”later this summer.
Asked what friends back home who hear the news for the first time might say about his quintuple accomplishment, Miller was modest.”I dont think theyll be too shocked, as Ive always been a diligent student.”
As for most of his close friends, Miller said most have known for a while”because I often turn to them for support, advice and just plain diversion.”
He attributes part of his focus and drive to starting school early.
“I was always a busy and active youth, taking piano lessons, playing in the band, taking part in drama productions and student government. I started school a year early, so I guess I always felt like I had to work a little bit harder than everyone else.”
Miller plans to return home this summer and then re-enroll at WVU in the fall as a non-degree graduate student for one year. During that time, he plans to apply to several law schools and evaluate his future.
If he does decide to go into law, he plans to specialize in biological and medical cases, public policy and medical malpractice issues.
WVU s 133rd Commencement speaker was WVU alumnus Ray Lane, former Oracle COO , who now guides established businesses in Internet opportunities and entrepreneurial strategies for Kleiner Perkins. Lane, a 1968 mathematics graduate from MCKeesport, Pa., entered the ceremony on an electric-powered, high tech scooter called a Segway. He did so to illustrate to graduates that such an innovative design and engineering concept could change the most basic of lifes functionsin this case walking.
He urged grads to”be disruptiveshift the paradigm. It will change the world.”
For the full text of Ray Lane’s address,click here.