Support Leah as she battles brain cancer

Let’s support Leah Miller as she undergoes treatment for brain cancer.

To know Leah is to love her, and to feel her love. You’ve felt it if you’ve spent an hour with her at the river, or walking dogs, or laughing over a cup of coffee. You’ve felt it if you’ve bitten into a slice of one of her legendary birthday cakes, or opened a jar of her pickled beans, or poured a bit of her homemade marinara over pasta six months after she harvested the tomatoes-- a burst of summer on a dreary day. That’s Leah. Even if you don’t know her well, if you’ve lived in Portland in the last fifteen-ish years you have almost certainly felt it through her incredible baked goods at spots like Sweedeedee, Red Sauce Pizza, Harlow, and Lauretta Jeans among many more. She has nourished us for years, and now it’s time to love on Leah.

On August 4th Leah experienced a seizure at work- the first of her life- and was rushed to the emergency room. An MRI showed a tumor in her brain which was later determined to be an astrocytoma, grade 4. She was hospitalized in the neuro-ICU and received a craniotomy on August 9th, and has been recovering at home since the 12th of August. Now it is time for the next phase of treatment to begin- six weeks of daily chemoradiation, followed by a year of chemotherapy.

Leah is facing this with the strength, humor and fortitude that you would expect if you’ve spent even five minutes in her company but she’s looking at a long, hard road. She has an incredible support system through her partner, family and friends, but the financial burden is substantial. It is really, really stressful. Funds received through this page will go toward the medical expenses that have upended Leah’s life, as well as insurance and living expenses. We hope there will be some remaining funds to provide moments of comfort and fun, so Leah doesn’t feel completely trapped by this diagnosis.

If you know Leah she’d love to hear from you-- pet photos, tv recommendations and hot goss are welcome- but she would prefer not to field questions about the details of her treatment and prognosis. You can get updates on her progress by subscribing to her CaringBridge page.

Leah shows up for loved ones and strangers alike. Let’s show up for her. Please give what you can, and share this page widely. Thank you so much.