My Father Marshall Miller was a huge Duke fan. He was in and out of the hospital there for 4 years. My Dad and Jim Valvano had the same cancer,except Jim had tumors which gave him about 1 year and my father had 3-5. He lived 4.

I can remember going up there and seeing the Wolfpack design on the halls of DUKE. My father loved Bobby Hurley and so did my 16 year old brother at the time Greg. My father and Greg would be so excited when Coach K and the team would get through early or come on the floor to visit and sign autographs,etc. Little did I know that 11 years later at 38, I would be diagnosed with Breast Cancer and find it early and be a survivor.

I think back to some of the saddest times of my life in those hallways. My father died there. But I also saw strength in people that I had never in my life seen before. I saw people working around the clock to try and save my fathers life and countless others like him. I also learned so much about cancer that I truely think out of something bad something good came out of it.

I would like to thank Coach K for trying to find a cure and rescerch with the Jimmy V foundation and for making some of the worst days of my fathers life memorable and happy for all of us. My father often told me that he could not be bitter about dying or the reascearch they were doing on him to try and find cures and that someday the rescearch done on him and so many others would lead to a cure. I relay for the past 4 years now a survivor. And thank you Coach K for being a wonderful person who cares about others.

Michelle

Growing up I was a huge Tar Heels fan because of Jordan but as I passed that phase and started enjoying basketball for the purity of the game, Coach K was, and still is, the reason. Basketball quit being something I watched on sports center but something I studied with a passion. Coach K inspired me when I very young to want to be a Coach and student of the game.

I graduated from college with a degree in business marketing from the University of Texas in San Antonio and went to work for my uncles insurance business full time, where I had been an intern the previous four years part time as a student. Following my heart, and it was a very tough decision, I talked to my uncle about my desire to coach basketball like I always wanted, and addressed to him that I was going to get my teaching certification. I wanted to go back to Charlotte a class A school with a population of about 1500, south of San Antonio and coach the boys basketball program.

Everyday, I wake up and read your quote that says “When you are passionate, you always have your destination in sight and you are not distracted by obstacles. Because you love what you are pursuing, things like rejection and setbacks will not hinder you in your pursuit. You believe that nothing can stop you!”

Listening to your interview with Coach Knight discussing how Duke has been a program that always felt like home, it has instilled even more fire to pursue coaching. Thanks Coach K, you are an inspiration for people who want to be a positive influence on other people’s lives.

I, along with a friend of mine, went to Coach K’s first basketball camp. It was the summer after my 8th grade year. We walked into Cameron and Mike Giminski was there having a practice session. Coach K invited us into his office and talked to us about where we were from and about basketball. The camp was a tremendous experience. I learned more about basketball than I ever thought possible, but I also learned the importance of being a quality person in every day life. To this day my family and I are all Duke and Coach K fans. He and his athletes are a tremendous example of class and integrity. I have only seen Duke play in person a couple of times but I and my family will always love and respect Coach K and Duke University.