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Lance Miller (left) never let his injury stop him from hunting. While home from college for Thanksgiving in 1990, he and his dad went deer hunting, and Lance bagged an 8-pointer. |
Dr. Lance Miller
After choosing to have his leg amputated several years ago, Dr. Lance Miller of Jonesville, S.C., didn’t know if he’d ever hunt again. So, for the “Celebrity New Shooter” (along with NWTF CEO George Thorton), winning 2009’s Top Gun Award at the 23rd Annual Kansas Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt in El Dorado, Kan., was more than just a recognition for killing the best scoring bird out of 82 hunters — it was in many ways a celebration of endurance and resolve.
“Receiving this award completely surprised and overwhelmed me,” Miller said. “My father had given me the hunt for my birthday. The experience was incredible.”
As the owner of Urgent Medical Care in Union, S.C., Miller spends his days caring for the sick and injured. He can easily put himself in his patients’ shoes. He knows what its like to be in chronic pain. He has experienced the fear and uncertainty that comes with a devastating injury. He understands the importance of receiving medical care from a compassionate staff of nurses and doctors who view their patients as more than just cases.
Pushing Through The Pain
When he was 11, a lawnmower accident severely damaged Miller’s left leg. He spent six weeks in the pediatric intensive care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, enduring several reconstructive surgeries. He broke the leg several times and had additional surgeries, requiring grueling physical therapy. Miller lived with intense pain for 17 years.
For an active young man growing up in the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland, where he loved to boat, crab and hunt ducks, geese and deer, such an injury can be overwhelming and demoralizing, but Miller continued to pursue his passion for the outdoors and learn from his experiences.
“I did everything that I could possibly do,” Miller said. “I pushed my limits. I continued enjoying my time in the outdoors. I even climbed into deer stands. I learned that if you don’t try things, then you don’t know what you’re capable of doing.”
That same can-do attitude and an appreciation for the medical care he received over the years spurred a desire to pursue his own career in medicine.
“Seeing the dedication and compassion displayed by the doctors and nurses made me want to become a doctor as well,” Miller said.
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Courtesy of Kansas One-shot Governor’s Hunt
Dr. Lance Miller (center) displays his winning gobbler, with father, Skip (left), and guide Lyle Shaffer. For an active young man growing up in the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland, where he loved to boat, crab and hunt ducks, geese and deer, such an injury can be overwhelming and demoralizing, but Lance Miller continued to pursue his passion for the outdoors and learn from his experiences.
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A Tough Decision
Lance earned his medical degree at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and completed his residency in family practice medicine in 1998 at Regional Medical Center in Spartanburg, S.C. At 28, before establishing his own private practice in family medicine in Union, Lance decided to have his leg amputated above the knee due to the chronic severe pain and lack of mobility.
“One of the first things that became apparent after the amputation was that I didn’t have any more pain,” Miller said. “Being pain-free was a great release, but I had to face the problem of learning to walk again using a prosthesis and finding out what I was capable of doing. During that time, I took a couple years off from hunting. I bought a piece of property in South Carolina where I built a house and now live with my wife, Patricia, and my daughters, Kayleigh, 10, and Erin, 6. In 2001, I began hunting my property.”
Lance’s father, Skip, says he and his wife are so proud of their son. “We’ve seen first-hand the adversity that he’s had to face since his accident,” Skip said. “As a doctor, to make the decision to have his leg amputated and become the patient was both brave and humbling, but he did it so he could get on with his life. Such a decision is admirable.”
Learning To Adapt
Although he is now pain-free, Miller still faces obstacles in the outdoors.
“I can’t walk as far through the woods as others,” he said. “I’ve had to make adaptations to my equipment and hunting setups. I’ve redesigned some of the deer stands on my property to make them more suitable for me. Instead of ladders, my stands have steps, much like the entrance to a house. My father introduced me to turkey hunting a few years ago. Since I’m able to hunt from a ground blind, going after toms does not present as much of a problem for me as hunting deer.”
Miller would love to hunt elk out West one day, but he knows that walking the long distances when elk hunting will present a challenge.
“Elk hunting demands a lot from a person physically, but I know that there are some outfitters who can take disabled hunters on trips,” he said. “I’ve never attended a disabled hunt. I’m fortunate to have my own property to hunt and the resources to modify my equipment to suit my needs, but I’d like to eventually try out one of those hunts. I’ve contributed to the NWTF’s Wheelin’ Sportsmen program and believe it is an extremely valuable organization.”
A Prescription for Success
Miller encourages other disabled people who’d like to give hunting a try or enjoy other outdoor activities to talk to someone with a similar disability and find out how they’re able to hunt and spend time in the outdoors.
“There’s so much adaptive equipment out there that can aid in your enjoyment and comfort while in the outdoors, such as modified four-wheelers, which can make access to hunting properties much easier for disabled hunters,” Miller said. “If someone wants to get into the outdoors bad enough, he or she can find ways to do that.”
He loves to offer encouragement to others with disabilities, and reminds them there will be bad days and good days.
“You just keep striving and keep pushing yourself, and no matter what, never ever give up,” Miller said.
Those words resonated in Lance’s mind that day in April as he downed the impressive Kansas gobbler, which scored 69.8125 points and sported a 10 ¾-inch beard. Winning the Top Gun Award at the Governor’s One Shot Turkey Hunt was one more triumph that Miller can add to his already impressive list of accomplishments, and no doubt, there are many more to come. — Stephanie Mallory