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In books, boy escapes illness' bonds
By TERRI D. REEVES PALM HARBOR -- As a child with the autoimmune disease dermatomyositis, Miles Marinello was asked to make a wish. The precocious 9-year-old, a student in the gifted program at Garrison-Jones Elementary, did not yearn for a trip to Walt Disney World, the most requested dream, or even to meet a celebrity. What the avid reader wanted was a few new books and perhaps a bookshelf to put them on. On Tuesday, his wish came true when the Children's Dream Fund, a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to children 3 to 18 with life-threatening diseases, arranged for Miles to receive 39 new paperback books from Barnes & Noble and a forest green laminate bookcase about 8 feet wide by 5 feet tall. He will also continue to receive books throughout the year. "Wow, this was a lot bigger than I expected," Miles said as he surveyed the new bookcase in his bedroom. "And I got so many books!" The dream was financed by a grant from the Palm Harbor Junior Woman's Club. Miles, aided by his sister Deanna, 11, began immediately stocking the bookcase with his new books and dozens from his closet. The shelving, custom-built by Ruhl Enterprises, was styled after a bookcase Miles had seen and admired in the foyer of All Children's Hospital. Since February, the youngster has spent much time there receiving tests and treatments for the disease, which attacks and weakens the muscles. Before he got sick, Miles was a lean and energetic child who had achieved the level of red belt in tae kwon do. Since then, however, he has gained 20 pounds from the steroids used to treat the disease. Stretch marks have appeared on his legs and arms. Last Christmas, his father, Victor Marinello, noticed something wrong with Miles. They were shooting baskets into Miles' new hoop set when the normally active youngster seemed weak and lethargic. Within a few weeks, Miles was barely able to climb the steps in the movie theater. His face appeared flushed. The doctors ran a battery of tests, and finally a neurologist made the diagnosis. With treatment, the disease normally clears up in two years. Although Miles has always enjoyed books, it was the degeneration of his physical self that led to the focus on his intellectual being. Shortly after Miles became sick, his mother, Lyn Marinello, gave him a copy of The Hobbit. "From then on . . . all I did was read," he said. "I really like the way books can make you use your imagination so much better than a movie can. Books pull you in and make you wander around inside of them. TV can't do that." Miles says he prefers science fiction and fantasy and loves the Harry Potter series. He estimates he read about 40 books over the summer and 50 during the last school year. As for his career plans, Miles said he hopes to make movies or write books. He has a good start: He recently completed his first manuscript, Imagination World, about a group of children who wander into a forest and see animals with mixed-up body parts. Miles says he likes to share his books with his friends and sister. "I like helping kids out," he said.
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From the Times North Pinellas desks Letters |
