Article by Jack Dees

A Life Sentence: The Story of a Man with Polio

Surrounded by plastic and heavy cutting machinery, 29-year-old David Miller navigates the workshop at Tap Plastics. He delicately cuts, molds, shapes, designs, and engineers a variety of plastic masterpieces ranging from a square of custom-sized plastic to a coffee table (now part of his home in Mountain View, California). Miller limps from machine to machine, completing the task at hand with dreams. He explains, “One of the things I’ve always wanted to do and still imagine doing is running. I can’t do that. It’s just not going to work out. It’s annoying, but I think just the limitation on physical activity has been the biggest burden” (D. Miller).

Miller suffers from residual complications from a poliovirus infection he had in his early years in Russia, where he was born.

According to EndPolio.org, “Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5…It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis” (“What is Polio?”). This disease has been nearly eliminated in modern countries that have access to the polio vaccine.

However, many poor countries including Pakistan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan do not have access to the vaccine and still have many cases. Today, many younger people still suffer from complications of this tragic disease. Miller, born in 1992 in Mossick, Miller was returned to the system, where he stayed in a home for 1-3-yearwas so extensive because the staff loved him.

Miller was adopted in 1999, by Michael and his wife, who reside in Mountain View California. Miller now has 8 siblings—“5 homegrown and 3 adopted,” remarked his father. When asked about his early school years, Miller explained, “I was not bullied too much. I had my fair share of the occasional bully about my handicap primarily…” Miller also described the various sports he tried to participate in but was unable to due to the leg brace restrictions he had to obey. Although the pain was extremely hard on him, Miller coped through his love for music. He band class and even started his own band with friends. When asked about his Polio as a young child, he recalled, like being out in public too much… We as humans do a lot of staring, and they make as a kid. I absolutely hated it.” His childhood was tough, but he grew up to be a hardworking man.I absolutely hated it.”

His childhood was tough, but he grew up to be a hardworking man.

In recent years, Miller has overcome what other people thought of him.

Hardworking and delicate with his craft, Miller has been working at Tap Plastics as a fabricator since he graduated from Mountain View High School and friends proclaimed how labor-intensive his job is walking from machine to machine. Miller explains, ”My job is actually honestly quite physically demanding. Being in a shop, lifting 4x8 sheets, cutting up a bunch of pieces, helping customers. It is Go, go, go, go, go. Everybody wants to do 10,000 steps a day; I probamy exercise.”

Miller is as hard of a worker as he sounds. A typical workday for Miller is a 30-minute drive to and from work, followed by a 9:00-5:30 shift. He then goes home and works on his own business, and dream job, as a custom woodworker. Miller commented on the pain he endures during work. “Polio affects my job and daily life most of the time with pain after a long day of physical activity, my leg hurts. It hurts, it aches...I have to sit down a lot, long bursts of energy, and I have to take a seat and get off done” (D. Miller). This explanation sums up perfectly how hard-working he is.

How does Miller cope with all of this pain and such a physically demanding job? He described how when he is in pain he focuses on the task at hand and getting it see him as an inspiration to how we take advantage of what we have. This young man is working every day with a crippling disease and not letting it affect him. We asked

to take inspiration from in our own daily lives. ease as a life sentence but Miller pushes through. Miller described his outlook on life

die, and regret doing something. So I always encourage people around me. full steam and get it done.” (D. Miller) Miller can inspire many with his ability to adapt and overcome. He has broken out of the life sentence that is Poliomyelitis. Miller asserts,,

“A message for anybody with a disability of any form of physical, mental, spiritual [is] ‘Don’t give up!’ Like I said earlier, there is no reason for it. The best thing you can do for you is do it, try it, enjoy it. Do not worry about other people. Life is too short to care what so-and-so is thinking about you.

You just gotta have fun, get it done and you’ll be much happier, healthier, nothing, nothing, nothing can slow you down. There’s no reason for it.”

About The Author

Mountain View High School and Freestyle Academy in the Film Elective. In my free time I enjoy hanging out with friends, watching the Goonzqaud youtube channel, and working on my car. David is a close freind of mine and it was fun learning more about his past and his inspring mindset on life and his disablity.

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