Jeremy Miller; Won Right to Attend School

Jeremy Prows Miller, a La Habra paraplegic who won the right to attend public school despite distracting medical equipment, died in the Friendly Hills Regional Medical Center in La Habra after a respirator accident. He was 19.

Miller, who died Friday, was found unconscious by his parents Tuesday night after his air hose became disconnected in the family’s La Habra home. His mother, Ella Miller, said an alarm failed to warn of the mishap.

Born April 12, 1971, the youth suffered a paralyzing spinal injury when he was struck by a car at the age of 3.

Despite his dependency on a wheelchair and respirator, he had insisted on attending public school. La Habra school authorities initially refused, saying the equipment would be distracting to other pupils. But after the Miller family rallied legal and community support, the officials agreed Jeremy could attend classes, accompanied by a tutor.

He graduated last June from Sonora High School and had been enrolled since fall in a continuing education program at Troy High School.

Holding a brush between his teeth, Miller frequently painted colorful pictures for his friends and family. He also completed the requirements to become an Eagle Scout, collecting about 3,000 pairs of discarded eyeglasses for the needy in South America.

Survivors other than his mother are his father, Glenn H. Miller, three brothers and a sister.

Funeral services are scheduled at 10 a.m. Monday at the Fullerton L.D.S. Stake Center, 2225 N. Euclid, Fullerton, with interment in Loma Vista Memorial Park, Fullerton.