UNMC student juggles serious disease with strenuous nursing career path

Rachel Overby
Antelope Staff

Common illnesses like a cold do instill fear in the minds of most college students, but living in fear of a minor illness is reality for Marisa Miles, a junior from O’Neill.

Juvenile systemic idiopathic arthritis or Still’s disease can turn a common cold into a serious issue.
Miles was diagnosed with Still’s disease when she was 17 years old. Still’s disease “is characterized by a raised salmon colored rash, high fevers, joint pain and swelling and affects internal organs and the lymphatic system,” Miles said.
Miles says she fights every day to stay healthy and avoid dangers like a cold, which can send her to the hospital.

Last spring Miles had to spend months in and out of the hospital because she contracted mono. She ended up also getting Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis which stopped her body from being able to fight off the mono and caused her to contract another, more deadly, autoimmune disease.
She was heavily involved in high school extracurriculars, but after her diagnoses, she had to quit sports and other activities.  Severe fatigue and pain stopped her from participating in her school activities.

Miles saw a pediatric rheumatologist at Children’s Hospital in Omaha but had to miss class frequently while still in high school to travel from O’Neill to her doctor.
Now into the second half of her college career, Miles is still dealing with the hardships of her disease. She says she is now in more control since she can plan her schedule and more closely manage her commitments.

“During all my time in and out of hospitals, clinics and emergency rooms, the nurses were always the ones who made me feel safe, welcomed, and that I was going to be able to make it through my illness; I want to be that person for someone who is struggling with their health.” -Marisa Miles

Miles is a member of a sorority on campus, Alpha Omicron Pi, and with their support she is still able to manage school and her disease. She is quite far away from her parents and her new adult rheumatologist, who works out of Yankton, South Dakota.

She said that with the help of her sorority sisters and close friends, she was able to come through this hard time, stay in school and keep her grades up.  She also says her mom was able to take care of her at her worst and made sure she got the best possible care.
Miles was actually inspired by her mother, a nurse, and all the nurses who helped her through her illness and now she is pursuing a nursing degree from UNMC.
“During all my time in and out of hospitals, clinics and emergency rooms, the nurses were always the ones who made me feel safe, welcomed, and that I was going to be able to make it through my illness; I want to be that person for someone who is struggling with their health,” Miles said.

Miles credits the assistance from others to help her stay on track, but her strength and resilience has kept her pursuing her dreams and working toward a college degree.