NEW UNDERWOOD — Gabby Miller plays three sports and she’s beyond thankful for it.

The New Underwood High School senior competes in volleyball, basketball and track and field; however, not long ago she was told sports weren’t in her future.

When she was four-years-old, Miller was diagnosed with Influenza A, which turned into a dangerous viral pneumonia and she was given a 10 percent chance of survival. If she survived, doctors told her parents — Bart and Sarah — she would always be on oxygen. They anticipated she wouldn’t have enough energy to play sports or run around with her sisters, Cailyn and Chloe. 

Gabby, however, had other plans and defied the odds. 

“She was four when she got sick, and the next year she ran a 50-yard dash, and beat her whole class,” Sarah said. “She’s been that way ever since — just go, go, go.”

Gabby started playing basketball in kindergarten, volleyball soon followed and so did track and field. She’s an all-conference performer in volleyball and basketball. 

The accomplishments and accolades, however, don’t measure up to how grateful Gabby is to even be participating in sports. 

“It’s made me more thankful about it,” Gabby said. “Because looking back I could see how much I would have missed throughout life if I wasn’t able to play sports. So it just makes me more thankful that I can.”

‘God had a different plan for her’

In March 2009, Gabby came down with Influenza A and was admitted to the Rapid City Regional Hospital, where she was diagnosed with viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS is a serious lung condition that causes low blood oxygen.

Gabby’s lungs were shutting down, one was completely swollen shut and she was given a 10 percent chance of survival.

She was flown to the Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls. At the hospital, she was put on a ventilator for five weeks and had chest tubes connected to her body.

“It was very scary,” Sarah said. “We just wanted to bring her home. We didn’t care if she had to live on oxygen, but obviously God had a different plan for her.”

New Underwood's Gabby Miller battled a dangerous viral pneumonia in 2009 when she was four-years-old. (Courtesy photo)

Gabby’s condition continued to improve and her ventilator was later removed. Gabby’s family has photos of her in the hospital, but she vaguely remembers the episode. 

“I just remember the nurses encouraging our family to pray and make sure we are staying positive about it,” Gabby said. “They said 50/50 chance of me surviving and after the first 24 hours, there were doctors outside my door dancing and cheering because I made it through the night. So it was pretty serious.”

As a result, Gabby was chosen as the 2009 Sanford Children’s Miracle Network champion for South Dakota.

After leaving the hospital, she was only on oxygen for a short amount of time. She briefly had breathing issues afterward and the only current side effect is a heart murmur, but Sarah said that’s under control. 

Three-sport athlete eyes the future

Gabby continued to play sports throughout school without any issues. She has occasional doctor visits and those can make her heart skip a beat. 

“When we go to doctors appointments, it still kind of scares me that they are going to tell me that something has come back up and I won’t be able to play,” Gabby said. “That’s always been in the back of my mind when we go to the hospital.”

Instead, she plays without any fear and leads New Underwood on the court. This season, Gabby leads the Tigers in kills (105), digs (135) and has seven blocks. Last season, she averaged 10 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game during the basketball season. In track and field, she’s a long jumper and sprinter. 

“She’s just a great, great all-around athlete,” New Underwood volleyball coach Brandi Brassfield said. “She works hard. She wants to be better and she wants to win. She will do anything to win and she will rise to the occasion.”

Gabby’s favorite sport is volleyball and she’s dedicated to her craft. The past two summers, she’s played with Black Hills Juniors Volleyball Club, which plays in summer tournaments around the country. 

“She’s a great leader to the underclassmen,” Brassfield said. “Great leader on the court and off the court. She has done JO volleyball for the last couple of years, which has really improved her as a player. This year, I feel she’s really improved her game as an overall player. She’s a great defensive player as well.”

Gabby has also done workouts at Physio Performance in Rapid City, which have improved her play this fall and she’s on track to surpass last season’s 227-kill total.  

“It’s helped me build strength and it’s helped me with my vertical, which is important for being not as tall,” said Gabby, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter. “I am a tall person, but not as tall as most volleyball players. So it helped me with my vertical with how hard I could hit and how high I can jump.” 

Gabby, who is also active in student council, activities council and National Honor Society, hopes to play college volleyball next season. She’s undecided on a college and a major. 

If she does play college volleyball, she’ll continue defying the odds when they were stacked against her not so long ago. 

“She couldn’t always keep up with everybody,” Sarah said. “But that got over real quick and it’s pretty amazing to watch her.”

New Underwood's Gabby Miller plays basketball for the Tigers. (Courtesy photo)