Larry grew up in a three-room cold water flat in working class Bridgeport during the 1940s. The bathroom was out in the hall, and his family only had a bathtub in the kitchen. He enjoyed playing basketball because he then could go to the gym and treat himself to a hot shower. His parents were from Slovakia, and Larry was four years old before he could even speak English. Both his parents worked to try to make ends meet, and while growing up, Larry had 2 or 3 jobs at a time…from scrap metal to eventually fuel delivery. He went to public schools but didn’t graduate college until after his three children were born. He was just too busy, still, as time moved along, he opened his own fuel oil business, and gave it the old family Slovakian name, “Milo.” A few years ago, he traveled to Slovakia to find his old family, but most were gone. He explained that when the Nazis occupied Slovakia, they required each home to take in two soldiers. That broke his grandfather’s heart, and he soon died.

During the years as a businessman, Larry entered politics. He loves people, and people feel the same way about him. He has been reelected for seven terms, and regardless of the myeloma, he is not giving up that part of his life. His diagnosis came in 1998, and it was a complete surprise. He was actually in Vermont, chopping wood just days before he visited a cardiologist for a routine examination. The cardiac tests seemed fine, but his doctor did find some of those myeloma abnormalities in the exam, elevated white blood counts and anemia. His wife, Mildred, worked in the cardiologist’s office, and the doctor thought that Larry should best see an oncologist. He was suspicious of multiple myeloma, although he said that he had never seen a case since medical school. After seeing an oncologist and undergoing additional tests, Larry received the official diagnosis – multiple myeloma.

But Larry, like so many of us, had no idea of the impact of that disease, especially since he had few if any physical symptoms. He did research on it, and decided to travel to Arkansas and be treated by Dr. Bart Barlogie. He said, “I kept reading his name and I decided that he would be the best for me.” At first, there was some uncertainty how to treat Larry because his condition was in the early stages, but after looking at the tests, Dr. Barlogie prescribed regiments of chemo along with a double stem cell transplant – a very aggressive treatment, but with Larry, we are talking about a very aggressive guy. The procedure was not easy. At first he even said, “They are trying to kill me. I thought I was a dead person.”

The first transplant was the toughest, and he developed a serious staphylococcus infection. It was at the time leading up to the transplant that he decided to sell his oil business. “I just couldn’t concentrate on the payroll.” The initial treatment caused a lot of confusion. His trips from Connecticut to Arkansas required long stays and he and his wife rented an apartment. He was in isolation for 30-day periods, and for an active politician, that was no easy chore.

But there was work needing to be done at the legislature, and he described the nurses being very helpful to him – allowing him to speak to reporters on the telephone, and helping him fax messages back and forth. He said, “Those nurses really helped pull me through.” His wife was by his side, too. “She is like Mother Teresa. Her family is from Albania, too.” No, not even the rigors of a tandem transplant would get Larry down.

About 5 months after the second transplant, Larry was back full force in the state legislature, although he was 50 pounds lighter, and he joked about his need for a hairpiece. “They all looked like dead cats. I didn’t want to look like a jerk.”

Oh, he is far from that. Over the last several sessions he has been involved with a huge volume of legislation which requires hours in committee meetings. Some of those meetings can go for more than 12 hours. In his 15th year at the legislature, he is the ranking member of the Housing Committee where he has been fighting to protect the rights of older residents that are 55 or older in restricted housing developments, and he has been trying to reform the “affordable” housing law. “My proposal would ensure that developers do not seek approval from local land use boards for high-density housing for persons 55 years of age fully intending to seek waivers from those stipulations shortly after their projects are completed and ready for occupancy. Housing intended for mature adults should continue to be available to them for many years after the complex is built. Otherwise, unscrupulous developers who want to build high-density housing projects in areas that are clearly inappropriate for them will continue to seek approval for them as age-restricted complexes for mature adults.” 

In his Energy Committee, he has been also involved with health matters related to the use of biodiesel fuels as alternatives to the highly polluting fuels currently marketed. He is concerned about the high cancer risk in Connecticut along with the high incidences of lung diseases. During the summertime, Connecticut does violate the National Air Quality standard for smog on a frequent basis – one of the highest levels of air pollution in the nation. He admits that his own health challenges have made him more attuned than ever to these health concerns. Miller says, “If more buses and trucks used biodiesel fuel, Connecticut’s air quality would improve significantly. It is used by the United States Army, Navy and Air Force as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is available in about 30 states and 50 percent of European countries. Biodiesel fuel is a home grown product that can be derived from cooking oil. It can also be extracted from soybeans, peanuts, vegetables and other organic materials. It is less toxic than table salt; it is biodegradable and environmentally friendly.”

In the Planning and Development Committee, his group seems to be into just about everything – not only housing, but also, fire, sewer, regional planning and development. You name it. The list of legislation with which he has been active goes on for volumes.

But his stem cell work probably caught the eye of most people across Connecticut. In speaking about it, Larry said, “In 1998, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a particularly deadly form of cancer, and given three to five years to live. I am now in remission thanks to the adult stem cell transplant therapy I received at a hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas. There are many other illnesses or debilitating medical conditions that can be cured using treatments developed through stem cell research. Medical researchers believe that further study could result in breakthrough treatments for many ailments or chronic conditions that for years have been considered incurable.” He then went on to speak about the religious opposition to the plan, and that is when things took a more difficult turn.

Initially, the measure failed in 2004, and he spoke about that – “The stem cell research bill we cosponsored in 2004 failed mainly because of strong opposition to the measure by the lobbyist for the church. This lobbyist disseminated inaccurate and misleading information about the bill which played a significant role in its defeat. Ironically, 55 percent of Catholics and 60 percent of mainline Protestants support it. In addition 75 percent of all respondents supported stem cell research. Many scientific and medical breakthroughs that initially were denounced because they contradicted religious or political orthodoxy eventually gained acceptance, saved millions of lives and advanced the human condition. In France, thousands died of smallpox because the authorities prohibited inoculations on grounds that the treatment violated God’s will. Four hundred years ago, Galileo was threatened with imprisonment because of his advocacy of the theory propounded by Copernicus that the earth revolved around the sun. Einstein fled Germany after the Nazis banned ‘Jewish Physics.’ His research helped theUnited States become the first country to split the atom.”  Larry’s strong religious background, beliefs, and attitude made other legislators sit up and take notice. His willingness to take a different track, and his own experience with myeloma inspired others. The following year, a major funding bill was passed. Of course, his stem cell transplant was not the embryonic variety, but he sees the link between his success, and the potential success for others.

Larry loves people, and loves being in the legislature. “They, democrats and republicans, helped pull me through.  Maybe we do fight like cats and dogs sometimes, but when it comes to something important, we all come together. Needless to say, he has a lot of fans. His secretary, Margaret Bonola, says, “We adore him. If there is a problem for any of his constituents related to a state or federal agency, he gets busy with it. Even if someone is sick, he steps in.”

Actually, Larry is an admirer of others, too. One of his role models happens to be another special myeloma person, Walter Levine, who lives in nearby Westport. He was diagnosed with myeloma in 1991, and he was not just in the early stages of the disease. When he saw his doctor, he was told, “You have three days to live. Go home and get your affairs in order.”  Well, he wasn’t ready. He went to the University of Arkansas, and he is also a graduate of its transplant program. In addition to myeloma, he had melanoma, and three years after the transplant, he came down with bladder cancer. But, he managed to stay ahead of it all. He started out as a very poor kid growing up in Brooklyn, NY, also during the 1940s. He would collect clothespins that had fallen off the lines, enameled them with his own branding, and resold them at three for a penny. He said, “There were no washing machines then, and I earned all the money I needed.” After being in the army, he learned beauty styling and then opened dozens of beauty salons across the country. He cut the hair of the rich and famous, like Lucille Ball, Connie Francis, and Barbara Streisand, and he became phenomenally wealthy himself. At the same time, when he learned his young son was mentally retarded, he started a major rehabilitation center. He has had 11 businesses, and for the past seven years, he says that he was put into a new orbit when Don Imus moved next door to him along his 3-acre estate. But his greatest satisfaction is helping to inspire other people. He says that he has helped hundreds of people find the right doctor, and he has helped thousands by always giving inspirational speeches. He says, “What I found out is that the more you give someone else, the more comes back to you.” He has this attitude that “I can beat cancer.” He now exercises with 5-pound weights every day, and when I talked with him he was on his way to his office from his home driving a Mercedes golf cart. After 15 years, he is in remission, and he does attribute a lot of that to his faith, attitude, and some complementary therapy – the sea cucumber which he is convinced has helped many that have used it, regardless of their cancer.

And what does a good friend of the great stars and Don Imus have to say about fellow myeloma survivor, Larry Miller? “He is a super-duper politician – so honest! If someone offered me a car, I don’t know if I could turn it down, but Larry would.”

And the Governor of Connecticut is a Larry Miller fan. Governor M. Jodi Rell is a brave cancer survivor herself, and she says, "Larry Miller must have the motto 'Never Give Up Hope' running constantly in his brain. While many of us cancer survivors believe there is always hope, Larry makes us believe it is a reality. Knowing that stem cell research is the hope of the future, Larry fought for and won passage of the landmark legislation allowing for-and funding-stem cell research in Connecticut. It was my honor to work with him on this very important legislation and to sign it into law.

"Larry epitomizes the word hope"

Looking back at life’s challenges, Larry’s wife, Mildred says “We did what we had to do and God was with us. It was faith and luck.” In fact, Mildred says, “We have put it behind us.” Regular examinations and trips to Arkansas are part of the routine, but she adds, “Hopefully, it will stay past us.” So far, so good. Larry will always have my vote!