GREENFIELD — When they got off the bus Thursday, several family members were waiting for Masan and Aydan Miller.
Their mom, Samantha Miller, guided them through their gate into the backyard, where a glossy new swing set was waiting for them. Aydan pointed in excitement, and it wasn’t long before they both were trying out the new swings.
Several individuals and groups worked together to make the swing set a reality for the Miller family, including the local Home Depot store; a manager donated the cost of the set and employees built and installed the equipment in the family’s backyard. Carleen Jacobs and Kyle Cambridge, department supervisors, and employees Kasi Kelley and Larry Hodge pre-built much of the set at the store and installed it at the Millers’ home, Jacobs said.
The heavy-duty swings represent an attempt to bring some normalcy to Aydan and Masan, since things have been anything but normal for the family in the last 90 days. Their youngest brother, Logan, has spent more than 86 days at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health, where he’s received three open heart surgeries and several other procedures to help repair a congenital heart defect doctors identified at 20 weeks in utero, Samantha Miller said.
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Samantha and Christian Miller both visit their youngest son at the Indianapolis hospital daily, which has disrupted the usual routine of the day for their other children, Samantha Miller said. And routine is especially important for Aydan, who has autism, she added.
Logan’s first open heart surgery took place Sept. 11, 2017, just a few weeks after he was born, she said. In March, his little body began to shut down, and he was placed on advanced life support to function as his heart and lungs, she recalled. She started a Facebook Live video updating concerned friends and family and asking for their prayers.
It went viral, gaining views and messages of support and hope from as far as Madagascar, she said.
“People have sent packages from all over the world,” she said. “It’s been an amazing thing.”
Since then, she’s started a Facebook group that’s gained some 7,500 followers, who have watched and prayed as Logan has improved since March. Logan has had a gastric feeding tube placed and barring any setbacks, the 9-month-old might get to come home as soon as May 28, Samantha Miller said.
Her daily updates on social media have caught the attention of thousands, including a local man who bought a small swing set for Aydan. He quickly outgrew the set, and his great uncle, John Burkett, reached out to a friend who worked for Home Depot to see if they could help the family get another set through their community grant programs.
Staff members at the store embraced the effort, Burkett said.
The Miller family is grateful for every bit of support they’ve received, from the the swing set both boys can play on together, to the daily prayers and good wishes that pour in from around the world, Samantha Miller said.
She relies heavily on her Christian faith, putting her trust in God completely, she said.
“I had to come to a point where I accepted the fact that my son may not make it,” she said. “I had to say, ‘Lord, I give you my son, and I will still love, honor and praise you.’ That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
