JR Miller at Palomani Pass, the highest point on the Ausangate trek in Peru at 5,200 meters (17,060 feet)
After 25 years of service to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), JR Miller has seen the mission from nearly every angle – donor, volunteer, fundraiser, advocate, and executive. But this year, he added something new to that list: trekker.
Fueled by purpose and inspired by the people he’s met along the way, JR took on a physically and emotionally demanding climb to Machu Picchu in central Peru, raising funds and awareness for those affected by blood cancer.
As LLS works toward its bold goal of enabling people with blood cancer to gain more than one million years of life by 2040, JR’s story is a reminder that no matter how long you’ve been part of the mission, there are always new ways to support the cause, rediscover your purpose, and do something that matters.
We sat down with JR to reflect on the climb, the survivors and friends who inspired him, and the meaningful milestones during both his trek through the Andes and his multi-decade journey with LLS.
Q&A with JR Miller, LLS Chief Financial Officer
Q: How did you come to LLS more than 25 years ago?
I first became aware of LLS in 1998 when my coworker was diagnosed with leukemia. My wife and I decided to donate to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of The Leukemia Society of America, which is what it was called back then. A couple years later, as our family grew, we decided to move back to the East Coast. I searched on Monster.com and found that LLS was looking for a regional controller in White Plains, NY. Soon after, we relocated with our two boys and two cats across the country to join LLS in 2000.
Basically, I went from a new donor to an employee over the course of two years.
Q: You've worn many hats at LLS from fundraiser to volunteer to executive. Can you give us a sense of the many ways you've been involved in supporting the mission over the years?
Over the past 25 years, I’ve had the opportunity to support LLS in just about every way imaginable. I’ve participated in more than 30 Light The Night events across the U.S. and Canada – from Boston and Boise to Toronto and San Francisco – often bringing my three kids (two boys and a girl) along. At one event in Mississippi, I handed out popcorn to kids and helped count donations in an RV afterward. At another in Victoria, BC, I remember strong ocean winds sending balloons flying and calculator paper unraveling, but we still got the job done.
On the athletic side, I’ve taken on America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride around beautiful Lake Tahoe, a virtual Big Climb in 2020, and now Machu Picchu.
Beyond those events, I’ve volunteered in many ways, including at our Visionaries of the Year events, at a medical tent during the Honolulu Marathon, and by participating in Lobby Day to advocate for patient needs. I’ve attended numerous gala fundraisers and volunteer conferences and been to every national Board of Directors meeting since 2006 when I became Vice President of Finance. I even threw out the first pitch at a Yankees game in 2023 on behalf of LLS.
"Every experience has deepened my connection to our mission and to the incredible people who make it possible."
Q: What made you sign up for the trek to Machu Picchu?
This is a bucket list destination. I love to travel but I haven’t really been out of the country since I was 20 years old except for trips to Canada and the Carribbean. I saw an internal email about the trek one morning, and by 5:30 p.m. that same day, I had signed up and created a fundraising page. That kind of impulsiveness isn’t typical for an accountant, but something just clicked. I’ve always wanted that mountaintop experience. With my youngest graduating college, it felt like the right time to invest in something deeply personal, something for me. And I knew it wouldn’t be just a vacation. It would be a challenge for myself and a tribute to those I’ve met throughout my LLS journey.
It meant a lot to set goals for myself – a fundraising goal, a physical goal, and a personal travel goal – and to achieve them.
Q: What was the climb like?
It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was actually several treks across 31+ miles through the Andes over six days, seven mountain passes, and at elevations up to 17,060 feet (5,200 meters). The nights were freezing. I had frost on my tent every morning. A couple of members of the team had to go back to Cusco early as the altitude was too much for them.
My training paid off as I was able to keep going, but even I had to ride a horse over one of the passes early on – what I called the "horse of shame” – but I built my endurance and confidence with each day.
When the treks were hard, I thought about the people LLS serves and the ups and downs they face as they navigate life with blood cancer, and it helped to drive me onward. The final two days brought us into the Sacred Valley and up to Machu Picchu. That moment, after all the effort and reflection, was unforgettable. A wonderful way to end this amazing journey.
Q: How did you prepare?
I made sure I was prepared with all the gear, clothing, itineraries, insurance requirements, and travel information necessary. In some ways, I overprepared, even bringing along a flint to start a fire in an emergency. It turns out starting a fire is nearly impossible on this trek as there is no firewood or brush to burn in the permafrost environment. The others got a good laugh at my bringing this along. They also got a kick out of the three pairs of shorts I brought – the weather was never warm enough to wear them.
The fundraising part was fun and exciting. I loved receiving emails indicating another person had donated to my campaign. It gave me a real boost during my training to know I had so many people supporting me on this adventure. I was especially nervous about the altitude and the physically demanding part of this trip, even training in Colorado ahead of time.
The training was the most difficult part for me. I have exercise-induced asthma and a history of back and neck surgeries, including a spinal fusion just last year. I knew I had to push myself. I hired a personal trainer, Greg, who became a good friend. Tragically, he passed away unexpectedly in December. I also lost my mom just a few months earlier. These losses made training much more challenging for me.
It was a tough year, but that gave this climb even more meaning. I had to prove to myself that I could still do hard things.
Q: Who inspired you during this journey?
So many people. Alice, a 70-year-old pediatrician and multiple myeloma survivor, was on the trek with me. She’s completed more than 18 Team In Training events with LLS. Watching her conquer Rainbow Mountain and push through the Andes was incredible. I also thought of dear friends like Chuck, who I’ve known since I was a teenager and was recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and my former colleague Doug, now battling multiple myeloma. Another associate of mine was recently diagnosed with something called essential thrombocythemia (ET), a type of blood cancer that I had never even heard of. And then there were the people I met hiking during training. A stranger who turned out to be a Light The Night chair stopped me because he saw my LLS backpack. LLS permeates everything! It unites people.
The longer you work for this organization, the more people you know who are facing blood cancer – including board members, volunteers, donors, and other supporters – so this was important for me to do it for them, many of whom donated to my campaign.
Q: What’s one thing that surprised you most during your trip?
I didn’t expect to become as entrenched in the local culture as I did. We had an amazing guide, Claudio, who grew up in Cusco and wanted our group to understand the history of the city, meet the people, and experience the daily life of the region. He took us to markets where we bought bread and cocoa leaves to bring to the indigenous people who opened their homes to us to see how they live. It was a real-life opportunity to learn about cultural sensitivity, identity and acceptance – a chance to see how interconnected we all are as people. We experienced nature with many alpacas, llamas, chinchillas, vicunas, horses, and sheep, all while being surrounded by the massive Andean mountains in the Ausangate range of central Peru.
I’m so grateful for Claudio’s guidance. Just like LLS is there for patients from the moment of diagnosis through survivorship, Claudio was that expert and partner there to walk us through everything from start to finish – educating us and supporting us every step of the way.
Q: What did this experience teach you about LLS and its mission?
That there’s always more to learn. More people to help. More lives to touch. A patient like Alice didn’t even know LLS could support her when she was first diagnosed. That’s why our organization is focused on doing all we can to make sure all blood cancer patients know we are here for them.
We’ve come so far over the last 75 years, and I’ve been so proud to be a part of what we do – with groundbreaking programs like the Therapy Acceleration Program (TAP), the Co-Pay Assistance Program, master clinical trials like BeatAML and PedAL, the Clinical Trial Support Center (CTSC) and more. I’ve seen us create so much impact, but we still have so much more to do.
"We’ve touched the lives of so many people impacted by blood cancer, and our mission connects with our supporters on a deep level. That’s the beauty of this work: you never know who you’ll meet or how you’ll connect. The mission isn’t just what we do. It’s who we are."
Q: How much did you raise through the climb?
I set a goal of $25,000 to match my 25 years with LLS, and I hit it just before I left for Peru. All athletic events for LLS raise around $12.5 million annually, with Climb2Cure events raising around $300,000 of that, and they’re growing. The Machu Picchu climb itself came close to reaching its $50,000 goal. Maybe someone reading this can help us cross that finish line?
Click here to help us reach that goal.
Q: How did you feel when it was over?
I felt relieved, proud, and a little sad that it was over. Not everyone finished the full trek (altitude sickness is no joke), but I did it. My training, the support of Claudio, the inspiration from Alice and other survivors… it all carried me forward. Every day was harder than the last, but in a way that built my confidence and resolve. There were a lot of false peaks along the way, just like in life and in the work we do, but you keep pushing, and eventually you get there. This experience will stay with me forever.
“You see inspirational words like ‘perseverance’ and ‘strength’ on posters in people’s offices. But when you live them — when you climb your own mountain — those words take on a whole new meaning.”
Q: What’s next for you?
I registered for the Disney Marathon Weekend 10k in Florida, and with that, I’ll have completed the “Triple Crown,” finishing one each of LLS’ cycling, climbing, and running events. It’s about continuing the journey, continuing to support the mission, and continuing to challenge myself.
"Until we reach our vision of a world without blood cancer, the work is never done."
If you are still reading this, and you'd like to support my Triple Crown efforts, please click here to donate.
Final Thoughts
JR’s journey up the mountains of Peru is more than a personal achievement. It’s a powerful metaphor for the blood cancer journey, full of highs and lows, unexpected turns, and immense perseverance. And through it all, it’s the people – patients, survivors, supporters, and staff – who make the climb worth it.
“Find what speaks to you. There’s always a way to support LLS that aligns with your passion and your strengths or find something that is out of your comfort zone to push your boundaries. Do something that matters — because this mission matters.”
Whether it’s climbing mountains, cycling, running, volunteering, advocating, fundraising, or popping popcorn at a Light The Night event, there are always new ways to connect with the mission and support LLS. As JR’s story proves, no matter how long you’ve been part of this organization, there’s always more to discover, more people to help, and more lives to change.
To make your next adventure one that supports our lifesaving mission, click here.