Teen to be ambassador for muscular dystrophy group

Scott Miller first met his hero Jerry Lewis at the Muscular Dystrophy Assn. telethon in Las Vegas. Now, the two are fast friends. Lewis calls Miller; Miller has Lewis' home telephone number and the number on his boat. For the next year, Miller, 13, will have an opportunity to do more than just call his friend on the phone. He will attend special events and work with Lewis as the junior goodwill ambassador for the association's Orange County chapter. Miller says he will be at the events to help "Jerry." Miller's mom Linda, who is executive secretary for the Orange County chapter, said this year is probably the best year for her "son to be goodwill ambassador. "He's been with Jerry, " she said. "And he knows what it's all about." When he was 4 years old, Scott was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, one of the more progressive neuromuscular diseases, which occurs primarily in boys. Linda Miller said she and husband, John, didn't recognize that Scott was doing some things at a slower rate than other children'. "I didn't have any other childrento compare him with," she said. He didn't walk until he was 18 months and he seemed to tire easily, but everything else was right on target. Now, she says she can spot a child with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy "from a mile off." Muscular dystrophy may have slowed Scott down a bit, but it doesn't stop him from enjoying his hobbies. He collects trolls and dinosaurs, and he loves to make banners on his computer and print them out for special occasions. He also has a rabbit named Capt. Rabbit, a tribute to one of his pals at the Anaheim Fire Department. Scott's other honors include a uniform and badge issued by the fire department in 1987. He is Anaheim's only honorary firefighter. Fire Chief Jeff Bowman wrote a two-page letter to the association telling them why Scott should be goodwill ambassador. Scott says he still visits the fire stations regularly and enjoys the attention he receives from the firefighters.